NEWS ARCHIVES

2015:

[FEB 28] Greetings all! Happy Saturday! Yes, I'm a day early, but since I had to work on the Summer Fever page, and I wanted to change the color scheme for March, I figured I might as well just keep going.

[FEB 28] First up is the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are looking at The Wanderer. (And best of all, you can take out your newly remastered copies to enjoy.  :-) )

[FEB 28] There is an interview with Jimmy Somerville in which he talks about Donna and Giorgio.  Check it out on Chicago.GoPride.com.

[FEB 28] This week for her Throwback Thursday post on Instagram, Barbra Streisand gave a shout out to Donna.  :-)

[FEB 28] Speaking of Instagram, you might want to look at Johnnyswim's page there.  Amanda and Abner always manage to post cool pictures there from their various adventures, but the last 2 posts have an extra cute factor... they feature Abner with the new baby. (I'd say fatherhood is agreeing with him!)

[FEB 28] Vienna Dohler fans - she is performing at a fundraiser tomorrow (March 1) at Factory At Franklin. It would not surprise me if video  got posted sometime after the event.

[FEB 28] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In keeping with the Summer Fever Pick, let's  start with the video for The Wanderer, followed by a live performance of the song.  Then there is the  Sunset Strip video mix of Running For Cover, a live performance of Cold Love, Andy's Upper Mix 2006 of Looking Up,  and a fan video for Grand Illusion. And finally, in honor of Barbra's Throw Back Thursday post, here is a clip of Barbra singing Enough Is Enough in concert -  with some nice comments about Donna at the beginning.  :-)

[FEB 28] And finally, I am walking for MS again this year. If you are interested in contributing, the link is right here. I even have cool little Donna Summer wristbands to  hand out to my first 50 donors. (And I have 50 misprinted wristbands that I need to find some creative use for. LOL) As always, if I hit the $500 mark, my team captain let's me wear my Donna gear instead of the team gear.  :-)

[FEB 23] Happy Oscar Night everyone!  Sadly Thank God It' s Friday is not nominated in any category this year thanks to some obscure rule requiring the nominees to be NEW films.  :-)

[FEB 23] Let's start off with some great news.  Johnnyswim welcomed their new baby on February 17.  More details will be posted when Amanda and Abner are ready to share.  (I would imagine right now they are just spending time getting to know their new little person.  :-) )

[FEB 22] You guys in the Seattle Washington area may want to check out at event called Stiffed that happens the first Saturday of the month at Kremwerk. February's event featured the music of none other than Donna Summer and they even had a drink special called the MacArthur Park. (I wonder if it was garnished with green icing?  LOL)

[FEB 22] In the blast from the (not so distant) past,  there is a nice article from 2008 from the Telegraph.

[FEB 22] Here is an interesting timelapse video someone made of the birds that flew past his house. You might just recognize the music is is set to.  ;-)

[FEB 22] That brings us to YouTube.   Since it's Oscar night, let's start with Donna's performance of Papa Can You Hear Me from the 1984 awards. Then there is a live clip of Work That Magic, the first part of the interview called Donna Summer: Her Words, Her Story,  a 2008 interview promoting Crayons, and finally Last Dance from the 1979 Oscars.

[FEB 15] Greetings all - I hope you had a nice Valentine's Day.  :-)  Let's start with something really cool. If you are on Facebook and are friends with Nathan DiGesare, then you know he is opening up his vault a little and giving us a peek at his work with Donna.  Now if you are not on Facebook, don't worry - he's using YouTube to share too. So check out this clip of something they were playing with called Addiction. If you like what you hear, make sure you thank him  in the comments either on YouTube or Facebook.

[FEB 15] The Westcoast Music blog has an article about the remastered Donna Summer album.  There's not much new there for most of us, but it's nice to see the album get some attention.

[FEB 15] That brings us to YouTube.  First up, the full 2008 Jones Beach concert.  Then there is Last Dance from 1978, a full 1977 concert from Italy,  and a clip of Donna with Prince Poppycock from America's Got Talent. And finally just for laughs - somebody posted a video demonstrating how to pronounce "Donna Summer."  (Just in case you got this far in your life as a fan without ever having heard Donna's name spoken.  LOL )

[FEB 8]  Happy Grammy night everyone! As long as it's an awards show kind of night, let's start with this article about the Golden Globe Best Song category. It talks about a couple of the notable  winners in that category, and Donna is the second one on the list.  :-)

[FEB 8] Huffington Post has an article about Barbra Streisand. In it they talk a little about Donna and the famous recording session for Enough Is Enough.

[FEB 8] Johnnyswim fans - if you are looking for something new to put your coffee in - well, Johnnyswim mugs are up for sale now on the site.  :-)

[FEB 8] That brings us to YouTube.  Since it's Grammy night, let's go with some Grammy clips. First up, the famous medley with Kenny Rogers, a performance of She Works Hard For The Money, and an acceptance speech for Best R&B vocal female for Last Dance.  Then there is a short version of Last Dance from a Disney anniversary celebration,  a short piece on The Power Of One,  Last Dance from the 1978 Oscars, and Donna's acceptance speech at the AMA's for Favorite Disco Single.

[FEB 1] Happy Sunday all! It's a brand new month and we are rapidly approaching Valentine's Day, so I thought a little change of scene was appropriate. (Plus I am sick of snow now!  LOL) This is also the first update made on my new computer, so that's a little exciting for me.  :-)  And of course, being a new month, we have to change the Summer Fever Pick. This month, we look back at those  bad Bad Girls. (Toot toot, hey, beep beep!)

[FEB 1]  If you are on Facebook, then you probably already know that Team Donna have (so far) secret new plans to revamp the official website. They are also asking for suggestions regarding the types of things you'd like to see them post on Facebook. (Hmmmm... would it be rude to ask for EVERYTHING?  Actually, is the internet even big enough to hold everything?  LOL) Keep an eye on all things official, you never know what's going to pop up.

[FEB 1] Are you looking to buy digital versions of the newly remastered and expanded albums? One fan has had good luck with HMVDigital.com.  He says they often have European releases available for US fans who can't often get the European stuff. And they take PayPal.

[FEB 1] There is an interesting essay about I Feel Love posted on the Library Of Congress website.  It is a PDF file, so you will need the Acrobat Reader to view it.

[FEB 1]  In the Donna is everywhere category, Nile Rodgers mentioned her in a new interview. You can check it out here.

[FEB 1] In the same category, The US version of The Guardian has an article  listing the 5 best and worst versions of the US National Anthem as performed at various sporting events. (Well, mostly at sporting events - they also included Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock.)  The first one listed under the best category is Donna at the 1999 All Star baseball game.

[FEB 1] Sebastiano over at Donna Summertime has recalculated the fan-picked top 40 tracks.  There are quite a few debuts on the chart and I suspect the box sets inspired some of those entries.  (The page itself looks really cool too!)

[FEB 1] Facebookers, there is another new Donna page out there called Donna Summer - Once Upon A Time that will showcase some of the many items collected by long time fan Warner.  He's got a bunch of stuff up already - photos, videos, picture discs, vintage merchandise... you name it.  It's a lot of fun to look at the stuff.

[FEB 1] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is Donna at the 2005 Night Of The Proms in Belgium. (It's the whole 27 minute performance!) Then there is She Works Hard For The Money from one of the Mistaken Identity shows, On The Radio from the Tonight Show I think, I Will Go With You from a Dutch TV show, and finally Donna on the 2008 American Idol finale.

[JAN 25] Greetings all! East Coast - are you ready for some nasty winter weather? (Shut up Florida!  LOL) Looks like it will be a good time to spend time indoors with our Donna collections. )Although personally, I plan to skip Winter Melody for now!  LOL)

[JAN 25] In the Donna is everywhere category, you can see a poster of her on display in the new show Empire on FOX. It's hanging on the wall of one of the character's apartment.

[JAN 25] Ok all you mad voters out there.  Ranker.com has a list of the most UNdeserving members of the Rock Hall Of Fame and you can add your voice to their list. Next to each name is a thumbs up or a thumbs down. If you agree that an artist is UNworthy then you click the thumbs up to agree. If you think the list has it wrong and the artist absolutely deserves to be in the RHOF, then you click the thumbs down button. Since I am assuming that anyone hanging around this site  would agree that Donna absolutely belongs in the RHOF, you would click the thumbs down button for her. She needs to be as close to the bottom of that list as possible. (Currently she is #3 - I blame the usual "disco sucks" crowd for that.)

[JAN 25] Ranker.com has another poll for best female vocalist. This is more straightforward - if you like the artist give them the thumbs up.  As of right now, Donna is #11 on a very eclectic list.

[JAN 25] Twitter users, why not follow @TheDonnaSummer is you aren't already? They have over 25k followers and the Facebook page has promised a nice surprise when we hit 30k.

[JAN 25] Brooklyn Sudano fans, her Lifetime movie, With This Ring debuted last night. I saw it, it was pretty good, but I should warn you that Brooklyn isn't in it as much as some of the other girls. But on the other hand, it's her character's wedding that gets the whole plot started, so I guess without her there is no movie.  ;-)  Lifetime is still airing it at various times, so check your local listings. (It could make a nice way to pass a blizzard.  ;-) ) You can read more about the movie online at the NY Daily News, Yahoo. Urban Daily, and probably a bunch of other places.

[JAN 25] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is the video for Autumn Changes, Try Me from American Bandstand, Lady Of The Night from a TV show, a clip from Regis & Kathie Lee showcasing Donna's art, and a Mother's Day video of Mimi's Song from our own Suecase Hall.

[JAN 18]Greetings all! Let's start with the CD box set. There is a US vendor called DeepDiscount.com that has the set for $83.99. A couple of fans have already ordered from there.  :-)

[JAN 18] Vienna Dohler fans - you know about her new website right? Well, just by going there and playing her music, you can help her climb in the rankings at ReverbNation. So if you are looking for some tunes to accompany you in your journeys on the web, go check out her songs.

[JAN 18] That brings us to YouTube. (Yes, already!)  First up is a performance of Melody Of Love. Then there is Hot Stuff/Bad Girls from a UK TV appearance, the Love Is In Control video (that belly she's trying to hide is Amanda  :-) ), the Work That Magic video, Heaven's Just A Whisper Away from the Apollo, and a promo appearance to promote The Journey.

[JAN 18] And finally on a personal note, I will be walking for MS again this year on May 16.  If all goes well, this year I will have cool wristbands to give out to my first 50 donors. (If you follow me on Facebook, you have already seen that the company messed up the wristband order, so I am hoping to get that fixed soon.) If you want to donate, or even just watch the dorky video I made last year to thank everyone, my page is here.

[JAN 11] Greetings everyone! Let's start off with a party.  :-) Do you remember last summer when the city of Boston held a big outdoor roller disco party in Donna's memory? Well, it looks like they are going to try to do it again on July 17. (The date is subject to change.) If you are on Facebook, keep an eye on this page for more details as we get closer to summer (or even to Summer!)  ;-)  And if you don't have Facebook, there is always Twitter. And if you don't have that - well, don't worry because I will be watching both closely!

[JAN 11] In Box set news, the BBC Shop has both the CDs and vinyl available. They do seem to ship worldwide, so that's another option for those who still need a Donna fix.  :-)

[JAN 11] Bruce Sudano fans - stay on your toes this year.  :-) He is promising more music this year - tour dates and more CDs. First up should be an EP of the Burbank sessions due sometime in the first quarter of the year.

[JAN 11] Vienna Dohler fans, you can follow her on Facebook and you can check out her new website (with lots of tracks to buy!) I have one personal request though. Please keep in mind that Vienna is still under 18 years old, so conduct yourselves accordingly if you post to her Facebook or anything. (On a side note, she's not THAT much under 18, so I hope you all feel as old as I do right now!  LOL)

[JAN 11] That brings us to YouTube. Look for a TV performance of Supernatural Love, the promo video for Autumn Changes, Spring Affair from Soul Train, an audio clip of Adonai, Anyway At All from the Tonight Show, Sand On My Feet from the Crayons tour, and VH1's Behind The Music on Donna.

[JAN 11] And one final thing. It has come to my attention that the contact form on the site managed to blow up or something when I redid the site. It is now fixed and should be working just fine again.   :-)  (These computers.... they have  a mind of their own sometimes!)

[JAN 4] Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays!  There's not a whole lot going on since I think everyone was pretty much taking time to relax with friends and family. I do have one very nice piece of news though. The new book, La Disco, by Andrea Angeli Bufalini and Giovanni Savastano is doing well. Last time I checked, it was #22 in the music books chart on Amazon.it. Way to go guys!

[JAN 4] In annoying news, Amazon UK has the CD box set available from another third party seller (that's the good news!) but I have heard from a couple of people that have not received their orders at the promised time and when they emailed Amazon, they were offered refunds.  I'm not sure if the orders were merely delayed by the holidays, or if they actually got lost, but it's something to keep in mind. Having said that, if you do order and there is a problem, Amazon is usually pretty good about making it right.

[JAN 4] Out.com has declared the return of the disco diva in an article that came out just last week. The article take a look at a couple of past divas, points out that disco never really went away, and then discusses a couple of current performers Out considers disco divas.

[JAN 4] That brings us to YouTube. Look for the complete 1980 TV special, Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic (I LOVE this clip - this is why I keep bringing it back.  LOL), Donna and others welcoming in 1977 on New Year's Rockin' Eve, an interview promoting The Journey, and Donna with Dick Clark on Good Morning America.

[JAN 4] Oops, and I almost forgot to mention - the new Summer Fever Pick is up. This month it is Live & More! (And please note, if you bookmarked the Summer Fever Page, I have changed the location of the page so you will need to update your bookmark.)

2014:

[DEC 28] Greetings all! I hope you are enjoying your holidays.  :-) Wednesday is New Year's Eve, and Donna's birthday, so be sure to mix a little Summer into your festivities!  :-)

[DEC 28]Those still looking for the CD boxset should head over to  Amazon UK. They have a supply available through one of their third party sellers.

[DEC 28] There is a movie called Foodfight that features a theme song called You Got Me Believing. It was written by Donna and Bruce, and performed by the Brooklyn Dreams. It is currently available on Amazon Instant video (in the US anyway)  And if you have a Prime membership, you can watch it for free.

[DEC 28] Johnnyswim fans - check out Baeblemusic.com's post about Johnnyswim at the Bowery. The article is accompanied by a couple of photos and a video.

[DEC 28] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is a beautiful tribute by Suecase Hall set to Celebrate Me Home. Then we have Heaven's Just A Whisper Away at the Apollo, Last Dance from the Night Of The Proms, All Systems Go from a TV appearance, and finally a short clip of You Are So Beautiful from Night Of The Proms. I would like to dedicate that one to the memory of Joe Cocker, the man who originally recorded the song, and who this past week joined Donna in the heavenly choir.

[DEC 28] I will see you all in 2015! Have a very happy and safe New Year's celebration! I will be rockin' my box set all night.  :-)

[DEC 21] Happy Sunday all!  As you can see, the site upload went well.   :-) And if you are not seeing the spiffy new winter theme, just hit refresh and that should take care of it. I am currently working on themes for other seasons too, so look for things to change once in awhile. I may still have to tweak some of the interior pages, but those I can do a little at a time when I have a chance. If you find anything obviously broken, just let me know.

[DEC 21] Moving on to Donna. In annoying news, the Rock Hall Of Fame class of 2015 has been announced so you know that means endless articles on the Hall Of Fame. One columnist has taken the opportunity to list what he sees as the 10 "worst" inductees of all time. Yeah, Donna's on the list. And it's for the same old stupid reason - disco.  But you know what they say about opinions - everybody's got one.  :-p

[DEC 21] Now on to much better news!  Amazon UK has a VERY small stock of the CD box set back in stock. So if you didn't order one yet, if you are quick you might be able to sneak in an order still.

[DEC 21] There is a new book coming out of Italy called La Disco by Andrea Angeli Bufalini and Giovanni Savastano, both of whom are huge Donna Summer fans. It is available from Amazon (Italy) and other sellers, and yes, it is in Italian, so if that isn't your language you'll need to find a sext Italian to help you.  ;-)  If you are on Facebook, you can follow the page for La Disco here. The book also got a 2 page article in the December 14 issue of La Repubblica. :-)

[DEC 21] Let's move on to Johnnyswim. They have (at least for now) wrapped up their tour and are hopefully getting some well-earned rest! They closed out the tour in Boston and were rewarded with this nice article on the Boston Herald website.

[DEC 21] Oh, and if you happen to have SiriusXM radio, take a listen to their Holly channel - one of several holiday music stations. Yesterday I was tuned in and they played Johnnyswim's Christmas Day. Even though I have the Johnnyswim Christmas EP and can play it whenever I want, there is still something special about hearing a favorite artist on the radio - especially the first time!  :-)

[DEC 21] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week we have the Love On And On Studio 54 Remix, the Glenn Rivera Restructure Mix of Dim All The Lights, the Christmas Medley from American Bandstand (1984), The Christmas Song from Good Morning America, and a fan video for the album version of the Christmas Medley.  And then one unusual cover for you - a ukulele version of I Feel Love complete with a yodeling section. I swear to you I am NOT making this up! LOL

[DEC 21] I will see you guys next weekend, but before I go I just want to say Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Festivus for you Seinfeld fans. And remember to stay safe while you are out celebrating - if you are drinking, don't drive!

[DEC 19] Okay, if you are seeing this then the site updated correctly. I still have stuff to learn with the new software, but as you may have guessed, I learned enough to be able to change the theme fairly easily.  :-)

[DEC 14] Greetings everyone! Lets start off with a site announcement. I believe I have the site fully converted to the new software and should be able to make the big switchover this coming weekend. (That's assuming real life and holiday preparations don't get in my way.)  So my plan right now is to delete the site from the server on either Friday or Saturday and then re-upload it with the new software.  So the site will be all or partly down during that time.  When the changeover is complete, the site will look just a little bit different.   :-)

[DEC 14]  Let's move on to the box set. I think by now most people who pre-ordered from Amazon UK and MyPlay have received their box sets.  I admit I have not had time to fully appreciate the whole set as much as I would like to. (Stupid job! I could be listening to Donna 24/7 if I didn't have to work!  LOL) The consensus is (and I have to agree) is that the remastering has brought new life to the albums. People are falling in love with albums that they previously hasn't fully appreciated.  So if you haven't played all your CDs yet, why not pull out the one you'd consider your least favorite and see if you still feel the same way?

[DEC 14] Now for those of you who haven't ordered your box sets yet... oops! The vinyl is still available, but the CD set is out of stock at Amazon with no indication of when more will be available. You can still get the individual CDs though if you want. 

[DEC 14] And speaking of the box set, it made the Telegraph's list of the 10 best box sets for Christmas - even though their description of the set was obviously not written by one of us.  LOL

[DEC 14] The LA Times came up with a list of the 20 best pop songs by women. I Feel Love came in at #12. 

[DEC 14] Johnnyswim fans - did you miss them on Kelly & Michael the other day? Well fear not. You can catch their performance of the Christmas Waltz right here. 

[DEC 14] Brooklyn Sudano fans - catch her on January 24 in the Lifetime original movie, With This Ring. You can read more about it here. 

[DEC 14] I think that brings us to YouTube First up there is a 2008 interview with On Time TV that is not to be missed. (Seriously, wait for her explanation of the Hattie Mae character.) Then we have The Wanderer from the Tom Snyder Show, a medley of hits from a 1999 TV appearance, and a playlist of Donna at the Nobel Peace Prize concert.  

[DEC 8] Greetings all. I have just a quick update to tell you two things. First, Johnnyswim will be on the Kelly And Michael Show Wednesday morning - December 10.  YAY!  

[DEC 8] The other thing I have to tell you is that Amazon UK has shipped more quickly than promised. I got an email on December 1 saying my cd box set would arrive ob December 22. It came TODAY. Other American fans have had the same happy experience.  So if you ordered from Amazon UK, keep an eye on your mailbox.  :-) Now I have to go read some extensive liner notes.  :-)

[DEC 7] Greetings all! The big news is that many of our UK friends have received their CD and vinyl boxsets, and the word is that they are GORGEOUS! There is actually a YouTube video of someone opening the Another Place And Time CD.  That will give you a tiny taste of what to expect if you are still waiting for your CDs. There is also this review of the boxset that you should check out. 

[DEC 7] Moving on to other Donna news, the official YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to if you haven't yet) has added a couple of new clips from the vault. First up is a promo clip for Bad Girls. And that was immediately followed by a promo for Live & More Encore.  So how is YOUR case of Summer Fever now?  ;-)

[DEC 7] And in other Donna news, as you know we have an active official Youtube channel, if you are on Facebook you have seen that the page has been decorated with the boxset artwork, and I believe we are expecting an update to DonnaSummer.com. I would imagine that the boxset art will feature prominently over there too.  :-) 

[DEC 7] In remix news, check out this new mix of Bad Girls. Pretty cool!  And along with that is the Summer2K edit of Looking Up. 

[DEC 7] Let's move on to Johnnyswim (who are still on their Christmas tour.) They made a Huffington Post list of the best albums of 2014! (It's nice to know Huffington Post figured out what we've known for ages - that Johnnyswim is majorly talented!) 

[DEC 7] And while we're on the subject of Johnnyswim, check out their interview with CMT Edge in support of the Christmas album. 

[DEC 7] I think that brings us to YouTube.  This week look for a performance of Supernatural Love, a mashup of U2 vs Donna on She Works Hard On New Year's Day, and highlights from the musical, I Totally Know What You Did Last Donna Summer. 

[NOV 30] Greetings all!  First up - a site announcement. My computer is literally falling apart, so I am at the point where I have to upgrade. The software I use to create the site is not compatible with the latest version of Windows.  So I downloaded a new program, and am in the process of converting the site so that it works in the new program. Once I am done with that (and I'm not sure when that will be yet), I plan to take down the site and reupload it. I figure that's a good way to also clean out some of the stuff that I don't use any more. When I am ready to do this, I will post an announcement here and in a few other places because obviously the site will be all or partially down while I do this. I will try to time things so that I can make the announcement during a regular update and then so the actual work the following weekend. The disruption will hopefully be minimal. (All fingers and toes crossed!)

[NOV 30] Moving on - tomorrow is December 1, so I figured tonight was as good a time as any to post the new Summer Fever Pick. Do I even have to tell you what it is?   LOL (I don't know of any of you keep a bookmark for the Summer Fever Page, but if you do be advised that I have changed the URL a little bit in preparation for the big site reupload.)

[NOV 30] And with tomorrow being the first, something else is happening... those deluxe CDs and boxsets we've been waiting so (im)patiently for are coming out - in Europe at least. Here in the US we have to wait a little longer.  Now for those of you overseas - here is some great news,  you may be able to grab the albums in an actual brick and mortar store! One gentleman found himself in the HMV in London's West End yesterday (Saturday) and even though the release date for the CDs is December 1, HMV had a copy of Another Place And Time. The fan who grabbed it (because did you really think he would just leave it there?  LOL)  described the liner notes as "fabulous", the sound as "great" and he said there are a bunch of never seen before photos.  He sent me a couple of pictures (Thank you Chris!), so I'll share one with you now:

You know, I was starting to get excited before... now, I think my mailman should be very afraid of coming to my house without my boxset!  LOL

[NOV 30] And let's continue to the other exciting news. As many of you know, Donna has an official YouTube channel. Well, the plan for this channel is for it to be a place for rare and never before seen footage. (Yes, the video vault is starting to open!)  They started off by posting a nice promo for the boxsets, then followed that up with a commercial for Live & More (the 1978 album) which happens to have a bunch of footage that will make you scream "I WANT THAT SHOW!!" (It can't be just me right?  LOL)  And now as I am writing this, they went and sneaked in a clip of A Man Like You from the Midnight Special. (That's such a new upload that right this second, it's not even indexed on the main Donna Summer page yet.) If you don't run right over and subscribe to the channel, you must be out of your mind! I would go subscribe right now, but YouTube won't let me subscribe twice.  ;-)

[NOV 30] In the Donna is everywhere category, or maybe I should say Donna fans are everywhere because fans HAVE to be responsible for this: There is a show, a cartoon actually, called Bob's Burgers.  They did an episode for Thanksgiving where Bob is home alone for the holiday, so he dances to Dim All The Lights in his livingroom. The music continues to underscore the next scene with the family doing some king of running with the turkeys event. The the show ends with the family singing Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) over the closing credits. There is a review of the episode here, and it is available (in the US at least) on Hulu Plus, or you can buy it on YouTube and probably other places as well. You can probably even catch it on your cable provider's On Demand menu.

[NOV 30] Johnnyswim fans: check out their new interview on CMT about the Christmas EP. Their  Christmas tour kicked off tonight, so if they are coming to a venue to you, grab some tickets before they sell out. (And they WILL sell out - you have been warned!)

[NOV 30] And let's drop down another generation to Mimi's daughter Vienna Dohler. I've shared clips from her before, so many of you probably know she is a talented singer and songwriter. If you want to have your mind blown, check out her covers of Be Myself Again and Nights In White Satin. Just Vienna and her piano. This kid is going places.

[NOV 30] I think that brings us to YouTube. After you've played the Live & More promo a million times, go check out an audio clip of a mix of Valley Of The Moon, the Hot Summer Night concert, the Glenn Rivera Restructured Say Something Nice, Papa Can You Hear Me from the Oscars, and Donna on an American Bandstand Christmas episode. (The sound is a bit weird on this one, and it does not include the Christmas medley they performed later in the show. See if you spot a young Mimi in the crowd.)

[NOV 23] Greetings all - and (early) Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.  (And if my international friends would like to join in the holiday celebration Thursday - just tell your employers that I said it is okay to take the day off.  ;-) )

[NOV 23]  There's not a whole lot going on this week. We have the CD and vinyl box sets (and of course the individual albums) coming out next week, so if you haven't ordered yet, now is a great time.  (Available at Amazon UK on December 1 and through Amazon US on December 9.) Get a box set for everyone on your holiday list!  And then we can dance December away.  :-)  I'm sad to report that I haven't run into Christmas Spirit at the local Targets or Walmarts, yet so thank god for online shopping.

[NOV 23] Giorgio Moroder fans: he will be releasing his first solo album for something like 30 years sometime next spring. It should be fun!

[NOV 23] Johnnyswim fans - make sure you catch them on their Christmas tour.  And if you can't make the tour, at least grab a copy Diamonds or A Johnnyswim Christmas (or BOTH!) The albums make great gifts you know.  ;-)

[NOV 23] That brings us to YouTube. Check out the video montage for Who Do You Think You're Foolin' by out friend Suecase Hall, Glenn Rivera's Queen For A Day video mix, the Could It Be Magic promo video, a fan video for Christmas Is Here,  Donna on the Queen Latifah Show,  and a bonus of Mary Gaines Bernard singing Make December Stay.

[NOV 16] Greetings all! Just a reminder - the 80s CDs (and vinyls) are due out via Amazon UK on December 1 and through Amazon US as imports on December 9.  Personally, I found it more cost effective to order through Amazon UK, but your mileage may vary. 

[NOV 16] Also, for those of you who have to endure Christmas music not of your own choosing (I'm looking at YOU retail workers!), Amazon has Christmas Spirit available. It's great for scrubbing your brain of the other junk we get subjected to. 

[NOV 16] In the Donna is everywhere category, the folks at the TV show Scandal are doing it again. They sneaked a Donna song into the last episode - Bad Girls. There has to be a fan or two working there.  :-)

[NOV 16] That brings us to Johnnyswim, who as you know, released their Christmas EP this week.  Read more about the EP here, here, and  here.

[NOV 16] And speaking of Johnnyswim, did you know they have a web store now? Right now it's just t-shirts (although every fan needs some JS swag  :-) ) but eventually they will add CDs and vinyl. 

[NOV 16] That brings us to YouTube. First up is Donna promoting All Systems Go on Jay Leno (the clip has 2 songs, the interview and enough tulle to swallow Donna in her chair  LOL), Stor Dubine's video for Does He Love You,  Romeo from RAI TV,  Work That Magic (with male dancers voguing behind her), and the video for When Love Takes Over You.

[NOV 10] Happy Monday all! Sorry the update is late, but I was busy all weekend. (Holy cow I got off the couch for a change!  LOL) First up, remember how I have been saying that A Johnnyswim Christmas was coming out on November 11? Well, at iTunes it is already November 11 apparently. Go grab your copy now! And while it is downloading, check out this article with behind the scenes pics of the duo and a stream of their original song, Christmas Day.

[NOV 10] And while we are on the topic of Johnnyswim, Amanda has recorded the vocals for a cover for You Belong To Me with the Doobie Brothers (and Vince Gill on guitar.) You can hear it on YouTube.  Or better yet, it's on the album Southbound by the Doobies. You can buy the whole album or just the one track.

[NOV 10]  Moving on to the diva herself, Donna, first up is the remastered 80s albums/boxsets coming out next month.  As some of you are probably aware, the Fan Club had a contest in which a couple of people won samplers for the box set. The winners have received their prizes and are happy to report that the remastering was very well done.  To quote one: "Donna's voice is so clear and you can hear sounds never heard before." So if you haven't pre-ordered any of the albums or box sets yet, now is the time! And if you have ordered already, now is the time to start saying, "Is it here yet? How about now? What about now?" as you pace back and forth to the mailbox.  ;-)

[NOV 10] And if you need something to fill in the time as you are pacing  back and forth to your mailbox looking for the upcoming cds, why not check out the Fan Club website. You never know when Tom will sneak in a new contest, plus there are some cool t-shirts and things to buy. (The holidays are coming...  you must know someone who would like a little Donna under their tree.  Or even better - 8 days of Donna!  ;-) )

[NOV 10] That brings us to YouTube. First up, a medley of Grammy nominated songs from Donna and Kenny Rogers that includes a little Doobie Brothers near the end. Next up is the Ralph Rosario mix of I Feel Love,  a radio edit of You 're So Beautiful, MacArthur Park from Night Of The Proms, From A Distance with Better Midler and Raul Malo, Let It Be from UK television, and Donna on Oprah. 

[NOV 10] And finally, here in the US is it Veteran's Day. So thank you to all the Veterans out there, and their families for your sacrifices over the years.

[NOV 2] Greetings all, I can't believe it's November already! That means it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we go on a Fairytale High with Once Upon A Time.   :-)

[NOV 2]  We're gonna change things up a bit and start off with some Johnnyswim news.  They have 2 upcoming releases due soon. The first is is their Christmas EP due on November 11.  The second is... a baby boy due in February.  :-) Congrats Amanda and Abner!  No word yet if the baby will immediately join the band, or if they will wait until he can walk and talk first.  ;-)

[NOV 2] In Donna news, as you know we are expecting a whole bunch of remastered CDs on December 1.  Amazon UK has sound clips from the remastered albums in their digital music store. Just click this link and scroll down for the remastered albums. (Make sure the album you pick says it's the remastered version - Amazon still has the old versions available for sale too.)

[NOV 2] I found a couple of articles that mentioned Donna - some more recent than others.  First is a nod to Stamp Your Feet in an article about songs that should have hit the top 10.  Then there is the 2012 list of holiday songs you may never have heard.  (Obviously in this case "you" refers to someone who isn't a diehard Donna fan.  LOL)  And Cracked has an article about people who "secretly made all your favorite music."  Giorgio Moroder made that list and of course any time someone talks about Giorgio, Donna gets mentioned somewhere.  :-)

[NOV 2] In the Donna is everywhere category, She Works Hard For The Money was played throughout a recent episode of Rachel Ray in which Rachel was handing out cash to people in the food industry who have done amazing charity work. 

[NOV 2] Bruce Sudano fans - I know most of you probably checked out his appearance on VOA's Border Crossings.  Well, now VOA has released a video copy of that appearance.  It was a really good interview, so be sure to check it out again - or if you missed it on the radio, catch it now. (And stick with it to the really cool new song at the very end.) By the way, if you think you recognize the other guitar player... well, you probably do. He's Randy Mitchell and he was with Donna's band for years.

[NOV 2] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is a video presentation of the Grammy Museum exhibit for those of us who can't get to LA to see it in person. (Thanks Ray!)  Then we have a mix of Running For Cover, a clip of Winter Melody,  Supernatural Love from Soul Train, an audio clip of Someday (Gypsy Classic Radio Mix), the video for The Woman In Me, and the Pound Foolish episode of Family Matters. 

[NOV 2]  That's it for this week. Next weekend, the update will either happen on Friday (if I can get  time that day) or it will be delayed until Monday. I have an unusually packed weekend planned, so most of my Donna time will be spent in the car instead of on the computer. (And there is nothing like driving with Donna tuned cranked up at full volume - if you live within a 100 mile radius of me, you may even hear me.  LOL)

[OCT 26] Happy almost-Halloween everyone!  How many of you are going to dress up as Donna for the holiday?  LOL

[OCT 26] Calling all fans in Los Angeles (or who will be in Los Angeles on November 1) - the Grammy Museum will be throwing a Donna Summer Nights party on November 1 from 4 to 8 PM.  They will be spinning tunes all night, and will have a cash bar on every floor. Admission is free but you must reserve a space.  Details are on the Grammy Museum website.  (And if you are going to Los Angeles at any time in the relatively near future - make sure you catch their Four Seasons Of Love exhibit. )

[OCT 26] In the land of covers, Kristin Chenoweth has a new album and PBS special coming out called Coming Home. On it she covers Enough Is Enough.  Look for the album on November 17 and the PBS special will start airing on November 28. (As always with PBS specials, you have to check your local listings.) There will also be a DVD release in February. 

[OCT 26] If you aren't already, you should be keeping an eye on the Donna Summer Fan Club site (or check them out on Facebook if that's your thing).  Tom has already run one contest for CD collection samplers, and he's planning another one soon for a tourbook.  For the last contest, all you had to do was correctly answer a trivia contest. (Well, in a manner of speaking that is. Nothing Donna related can truly be considered "trivia".  ;-) )

[OCT 26] I know everyone is eagerly awaiting the Geffen deluxe releases, but some of you may remember that a Casablanca CD set was due to come out in Europe soon.  Well, that release date seems have been pushed back to February, but the interesting thing is that a seller on Amazon UK had a couple of copies available, and people were able to buy them. A poster on the forum had received his shipment notice from Amazon already and he plans to let everyone know when he gets his set.  :-)

[OCT 26] Johnnyswim fans - November 11 is rapidly approaching! And you know what that means - soon we will be able to hear A Johnnyswim Christmas. But while you are waiting for that album, go check them out on tour.  And go out and grab a few more copies of Diamonds. They make great gifts.  :-)  (Oops... I think my family knows what they are all getting now.)

[OCT 26] And I think that brings us to YouTube. Look for She Works Hard For The Money from European TV, a very young Donna singing Black Power, Donna in a promo film for Hair (it takes about 3 minutes before you see her), a clip of Meglio Stasera, and a clip of The Hostage. 

[OCT 19] Greetings all!  There isn't much going on in Donna-land right now. We're just waiting for those deluxe CDs and vinyls to hit.  (Is it December yet? How about now?  LOL) But while we are waiting, the people over at the TV show Scandal decided that MacArthur Park was the perfect closer to one of the early episodes this season.  I've never seen the show, but I always agree with someone using a Donna song.  ;-) 

[OCT 19] In the Donna is everywhere category, she got a weird little mention in an article about petitioners. In a nutshell, the article is about how annoying it can be to be accosted by petitioners in the street. The article includes these lines:  A fellow journalist told me she was shouted at recently while obviously listening to music: specifically, the music of Donna Summer. When you mess with Donna Summer, you've gone over the line. 

[OCT 19] Johnnyswim fans: the pair have announced a whole bunch of new tour dates in support of their upcoming Christmas EP. Many of those tickets are already on sale, and they are going fast. If you want to catch Johnnyswim at any of their dates, buy your tickets EARLY.

[OCT 19] That brings us to YouTube. This week look for the video for Try Me, Glenn Rivera's Restructured Mix of The Wanderer, A video for Could It Be Magic, Hot Stuff live in Beijing,  a country medley with Eddie Rabbitt,  Heal Them from a telethon, and a live version of Nights In White Satin. 

[OCT 12] Happy Sunday all - and Happy Thanksgiving Canada! First up - an article in Billboard about new signings, etc mentions that Donna is being distributed by The Orchard. 

[OCT 12] Aretha Franklin's new album, Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics comes out October 21. The track list is already on Amazon, and despite early reports to the contrary, Last Dance is not on the list.  I'm sure those of you ho wanted to hear Aretha's take on the song are disappointed, while those who can't imagine anyone but Donna singing it are relieved.  My question is, did they record the song and then leave it in the vault? Or did they just not bother recording it at all?

[OCT 12] Johnnyswim fans, while they are currently on tour until November in support of Diamonds, on Tuesday they will announce dates for a Christmas tour. A couple of cities they plan to hit are Boston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Nashville. The Nashville tickets are already on sale. And I know I sound like a broken record, but you need to get your tickets EARLY! Johnnyswim tends to sell out everywhere they go.  :-)

[OCT 12] If you are looking for handmade jewelry, don't forget Mimi is making and selling stuff on Etsy. (Some pretty nice stuff too!)

[OCT 12] That brings us to YouTube. Look for  a Japanese concert in support of All Systems Go (it's the one that includes Donna's awesome cover of Celebrate Me Home),  then there is Hot Stuff/ Bad Girls from the Nobel Peace Prize concert, I Will Go With You from a TV appearance, and I Love You from The Tonight Show. 

[OCT 5] Greetings all! It's a new month so you know what that means. It's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month, we look at I Remember Yesterday.

[OCT 5] California - if you missed the slasher parody, I Totally Know What You Did Last Donna Summer, then you can catch it at the Cavern Club Theater for a limited engagement from October 10 to 25. 

[OCT 5] If you missed it in 2012, Jellybean Benitez had some nice things to say to CNN about Donna. 

[OCT 5] Bruce fans - don't miss him at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles on October 10.

[OCT 5] Johnnyswim fans - mark your calendars. November 11 s the release date for their upcoming Christmas EP. It's called A Johnnyswim Christmas and the tracks will be: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, O Come All Ye Faithful, I'll Be Home For Christmas, Christmas Waltz, and a live version of What Are You Doing New Year's Eve.  Check out the cover art on Instagram. And don't forget, the duo is currently (perpetually!) on tour, so try to catch them when they get to a place near you.

[OCT 5]  That brings us to YouTube.  This week look for the Live & More Encore concert, the 1980 TV Special, Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic (one of my favorite clips), Clips from Divas 2000, and an audio clip of Walk Hand In Hand. 

[SEP 28] Happy Sunday everyone!  First up tonight, the US Amazon store has listings now for the CD boxset, the vinyl boxset, and the individual deluxe CDs.  Now keep in mind that these are being made available as imports which means the price is on the high side, and we won't get them here until December 9.  But this is another option for those of us in North America who want some Deluxe Donna goodness.  :-)

[SEP 28] In the Donna is everywhere category, she made Huffington Post's  Iconic Oscar Dresses You've Probably Forgotten.  The photo you are looking for is #4.

[SEP 28] You all remember the upcoming movie, Spinning Gold, about Neil Bogart, right? Well, it looks like Kelly Rowland is interested in playing Donna in that film. See what you think. (Scroll down to the bottom photo.)

[SEP 28] You may remember awhile back I mentioned that there is a blog that's all about chart positions? Well it's been improved and you can check out the Donna page here.  Most of the text  is in French, so if that's not your language you will have to use something like Google (or a hot French guy if you prefer) to translate for you.  :-)

[SEP 28] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him live in LA at Genghis Cohen on October 10 at 8 PM. If you have never seen Bruce live, then you need to go. An0d if you have seen him live, then you already know that you need to go see him again.  :-)

[SEP 28] For those of you wondering what Mimi is up to these days (besides being a mom that is), well she's making jewelry and selling it on Etsy.  She's got some nice stuff, so go take a look. 

[SEP 28] That brings us to YouTube.  First up is Breakaway live in Brazil, Mimi's Song from the Tonight Show, Vh1's Behind The Music, Donna on Oprah, and the long version of Walk Away (slideshow set to audio).

[SEP 21] Happy Sunday everyone. Let's start off with this nice little article about the Top 40 Pop Artists of all time. It's an opinion piece about the most essential artists to get to know. The list is based on commercial success and the timelessness of the artist's music. See if you spot a familiar name in the #2 spot.  ;-) 

[SEP 21] Music distributor, The Orchard, has announced that they are now working with Driven By The Music - which is of course is Donna's estate. 

[SEP 21] Ebony posted a list of 25 style icons. They call Donna "the glamour girl."

[SEP 21] Here's a bit of trivia or you. Donna holds the record for the longest note held by a woman in a hit single. (I don't need to tell you that the song is Dim All The Lights, do I?)

[SEP 21] Ok everyone - sing along: I'm dreaming of a Donna Christmas....   ;-) In case you haven't heard enough about the upcoming CD and vinyl deluxe versions of the 80s albums, well here's another article about them.  Excuse me while I go glare at my calendar and wonder why December 1 seems so far away.

[SEP 21] Here's something unusual. Someone has created a poster with Billboard's Hot 100 of all time represented as diagrams and charts. (Yes you read that right.)  Most of the poster is rendered too small to read on the website, but they show a sample area of it that includes the entry for Hot Stuff. 

[SEP 21] Bruce Sudano fans - he did a show called Border Crossings on VOA radio. It was a nice long interview complete with 3 live performances - one of which was a never before heard song called What The Future Holds. Now, don't be disappointed if you missed it.  You can catch it on the Border Crossings website.  You want the September 17 episode, and you have the option of playing it in your web browser, or downloading it to put on a portable device.  Check it out if you can. It was a really good interview that touched on all different points in Bruce's career, and he even opened up about Donna a bit.  And besides that - the new song is worth tuning in for.   :-)  On a side note - Bruce's birthday is Friday, so if you are on Facebook head over to his page and wish him a happy one.  

[SEP 21] Johnnyswim fans - stay tuned because the pair have been recording a video for Diamonds in Las Vegas. They are also currently working on their Christmas EP. 

[SEP 21] I think that brings us to YouTube.  This week we have Glenn Rivera's video mix of Fairy Tale High,  a clip of Lady Of The Night, a clip of On The Radio, a clip of Amazing Grace, a clip of Starting Over Again (a song mentioned by Bruce in the interview he did for VOA),  and  finally an audio only clip of Happy Birthday.

[SEP 14] Greetings all. The answer to the question a lot of you have been asking is, "yes". Oh wait, I guess I should give you the question too.  ;-)  The question is, "does the CD box set contain the DELUXE versions of the albums?" and that answer yes it does!  So that means you don't have to buy all the individual releases just to get all the bonuses - although if you have the cash, feel free to.  ;-) 

[SEP 14] In other news, as the deluxe albums are being worked on, they have found some stuff they didn't know they had.  And as a result, the tracklist for a couple of albums have had some adjustments made.  Cats Without Claws will now include the 7" Jellybean remix edit of Eyes.  And Another Place And Time adds I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (Original Pete Hammond 12" mix), When Love Takes Over You (Original Pete Hammond 12" mix), Love's About To Change My Heart dub (not to be confused with the Love Dub and it will replace the PWL 12" mix),  and Breakaway Instrumental Remix Edit (which replaces the album instrumental.) What's happening is that as they remaster the tracks, they are discovering things that are mislabeled or whatever and fortunately they are at a stage where they can still make changes as different things are found.  Probably the track lists we have now are the final ones, but who knows? With a couple months left, we may get lucky and some rare mix will turn up in somebody's laundry room or something. 

[SEP 14] I'd say people are getting pretty excited about the deluxe releases. Tae a look at Amazon UK's list of disco best sellers. As of this writing, I see APAT, the CD set, ASG and the self-titled album all in the top 20.  The others all fall somewhere in the 21 to 40 slots, Endless Summer  popped up at #43, and on the 81 to 100 page, you find The Journey and Four Seasons Of Love.  We should just rename it the Donna Summer Chart.  ;-)

[SEP 14] Cats Without Claws lovers - did you realize the album is 30 years old?  (Can you believe it? ) Anyway, in honor of 3 decades of Cats Without Claws, The QH Blend blog has posted a very nice retrospective on the alum.

[SEP 14] In the land of covers, Beck is the latest to add I Feel Love to his set. You can hear it here. (Jump to about 2:45 for I Feel Love.)

[SEP 14] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is I'm A Fire live in Paris, then we have Science Of Love and Last Dance from XM Radio's Artist Confidential, An audio only clip of the Enough Is Enough recording sessions (jump to 16:40ish for the famous "beat him up with a stick" outtake), Donna with Dick Clark on Good Morning America, and Donna on Jools Holland. 

[SEP 7] Happy Sunday everyone! In case you haven't been on the social media scene this week, let me announce that the 80s albums (the Geffen and Atlantic ones only) will be released as deluxe editions on December 1 and there will be gorgeous box sets of vinyl and CDs.  Now as of right now, these are only available to Europe and Australasia via Donna's official store, or you can order through Amazon UK, and they will ship to North America. (It just costs a little more.)  You can see photos of the box sets here.  Now the only thing we are not sure of right now is if the box sets are just the remastered albums, or if they include the bonus tracks from the deluxe releases. What the box sets do have are postcards in the CD set and a gorgeous booklet in the vinyl set.

[SEP 7] Now as I said, the albums are coming out individually as deluxe editions too. They will have all the original liner notes, art and lyrics, plus some extensive new liner notes to go with them.  Since I am sure you are all well acquainted with the original tracks for all the albums (and if you are not - feel free to check out the discography section), let me run down the bonus tracks. 

The Wanderer: Who Do You Think You Are Fooling (3:55 edit), Cold Love ( 3:11 edit)

Donna Summer: Sometimes Like Butterflies, Love Is In Control (7" Version), Love Is In Control (Dance Remix), Love Is In Control (Instrumental feat. Ernie Watts On saxophone solo), State Of Independence (7" Version), State Of Independence (NRG Mix), State Of Independence (New Radio Millennium Mix)

Cats Without Claws: Face The Music, Supernatural Love (Extended Dance Remix), Eyes (Extended Mix), I'm Free (Extended Mix)

All Systems Go: Tearin' Down The Walls, All Systems Go (edit), All Systems Go (Extended Remix), Dinner With Gershwin (Edit), Dinner With Gershwin (Extended Version), Dinner With Gershwin (Instrumental), Only The Fool Survives (Edit)

Another Place And Time: This is 3 CDS so make yourself comfortable! Breakaway (Power Radio Mix), Breakaway (Extended Power Mix), Breakaway (Harding Curnow Extended Reix), Breakaway (Remix Edit). Breakaway (Album Instrumental), I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (12" version), I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (Instrumental), I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (Remix), If It Makes You Feel Good (Pete Hammond Remix Instrumental), Sentimental (Instrumental), The Only One (Instrumental), This Time I Know It's For Real (Extended Remix), This Time I Know It's For Real (Instrumental),  Whatever Your Heart Desires (Instrumental), When Love Takes Over You (Dave Ford 7"), When Love Takes Over You (Dave Ford Extended Remix), When Love Takes Over You (Dave Ford Instrumental), Love's About To Change My Heart (Clivilles & Cole 12" Mix), Love's About To Change My Heart (Clivilles & Cole 7" Mix), Love's About To Change My Heart (Extended Mix), Love's About To Change My Heart (Instrumental), Love's About To Change My Heart (Love Dub), Love's About To Change My Heart (Loveland's Full On 7" Radio Edit), Love's About To Change My Heart (PWL 12" Mix), Love's About To Change My Heart (PWL 7" Mix)

Mistaken Identity: When Love Cries (Single version), When Love Cries (Vocal Club Dub aka Summertime Remix), Work That Magic (ISA Extended mix)

I'm A Rainbow: No actual bonus tracks have been listed, but it's touted as being sequenced as originally intended.

[SEP 7] These upcoming releases have already started to chart on Amazon' UK's New Music chart just based on preorders. :-) (You will have to click through the pages because chart positions change rapidly.)

[SEP 7] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is 14 minutes of clips from a performance with the Nashville Symphony. (It ends with that wonderful version of I Will Live For Love.) Then there is a 2008 performance of Last Dance from Oakland, Glenn Rivera's video mix of Once Upon A Time, a 1990 megamix, and Donna's duet with Seal from David Foster & Friends.

[AUG 31] Wow - where did the summer go? Well, tomorrow is September 1 so that means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we reexamine Four Seasons Of Love.  :-)

[AUG 31] So you guys on Facebook have probably been noticing the countdown on the official Donna Summer Facebook page.  Yesterday they posted the number 2. Later tonight we should see a 1. And then tomorrow we will either get a big announcement, or.... they will drive everyone crazy by posting the number 0.  LOL  Now I have no idea what the announcement is, but I suspect if may have something to do with this interesting search on Amazon UK.   :-)  For those who don't want to click right now - that link takes you to a list of Donna stuff that includes pre-orders for the DELUXE versions of the 80s albums - due out on December 1. You may also be interested in knowing that these will be available as cds, or vinyl AND there will be box sets for each version.  Now this hasn't shown up on the US Amazon yet, but let's see what happens tomorrow.  :-)  Oh and one other little detail you will like - the label imprint is Driven By The Music.   :-) Everybody start doing your happy dance!!!

[AUG 31] Also in release news, Amazon UK has the Donna Summer Complete Album Collection listed with an October 14 release date. 

[AUG 31] In the Donna is everywhere category, the talk show, The Chew, is using Love To Love You Baby in their ads for the upcoming season. 

[AUG 31] In an odd coincidence, tonight I made Four Seasons Of Love the Summer Fever Pick - over on the German eBay, someone is selling a lamp based on that album cover. 

[AUG 31] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week look for Donna live in Rotterdam, Glenn Rivera's Restructured Mix of When Love Takes Over You, Love Is The Healer Dream Machine Remix, a 1985 Megamix, and Someone To Watch Over Me from Live & More Encore.

[AUG 24] Greetings all! It's a quiet week so let's just jump right to the world of unusual covers. This one is a strange slow version of I Feel Love by the Plantains being used in the trailer for the film Men, Women, & Children.  You can see the trailer (and read about the film) here.  I'm trying to decide if the cover itself is depressing, or if it's just that the movie is depressing and that's affecting my reaction to the song.  I think I better go play Donna's original a few times to shake that movie out of my head.  ;-)

[AUG 24] Johnnyswim fans - check out their new interview on PopMatters.com. Now if you are looking to catch the duo on tour - well, they are on a short break now, but they hit the roads again with a show on September 4 in Nashville, and they they continue to play here, there and everywhere throughout September and October.  Check out the dates here, and don't forget - Johnnyswim tends to sell out everywhere they go lately. So GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY!! I've had several people tell me they waited too long and couldn't get seats.... don't make that mistake!

[AUG 24] That brings us to YouTube. First up a feature from Wolf Trap from 2008, a 1979 segment from 20/20,  Last Dance and On The Radio from Live & More Encore, Donna introducing Chaka Khan on Solid Gold, Friends Unknown live, and one of my personal favorite clips - I Will Live For Love with the Nashville Symphony.

[AUG 17] Greetings all!  I just want to start off by saying that it was my pleasure to catch Bruce in concert last night in my  first theater concert since  May 17, 2012. It was a lot of fun and I scored an autographed VINYL copy of With Angels On A Carousel at the merchandise table.   :-) If he comes to your area - try to catch the show. You will be sorry if you miss it!

[AUG 17]  If any of you are missing any of Donna's albums (or missing them in digital format, or just need an updated copy of the ones you have) - iTunes and Amazon now have listings for ALL of Donna's albums (yes even the lesser known 80s stuff like I'm A Rainbow) available for sale. The 80s albums are actually pre-order only right now - they are expected to be available on September 2. 

[AUG 17] Facebook users, the Grammy Museum page is running a contest where fans can submit a photo of their favorite piece of Donna memorabilia for a chance to win tickets to the Four Seasons Of Love exhibit and Grammy Museum swag. For instructions (and to enter) head over to this page. 

[AUG 17] In the Donna is everywhere category... her friend Alice Harris ("everybody works - except maybe Alice" - Live & More Encore 1999) has put together an art book called Blow Me  A Kiss that features a ton of images around the theme of lips. If you open the book to the dedication page, it simply says, "For Donna."  And if you flip to the back, the girls and their husbands all get a mention.  Some of you might already be familiar with the book from Facebook - both Bruce and Amanda have posed with it.

[AUG 17] In site news, Wolfgang has updates his German biography/discography. You can read it in PDF format here.  He's done such a great job with it - thanks Wolfgang!  :-)

[AUG 17] Johnnyswim fans - check out this video they did for Uniglo. 

[AUG 17] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is the karaoke video for MacArthur Park, the 12" mix of I Will Live For Love, a live version of To Paris With Love,  a live cover of Nature Boy, and this awesome clip of Smile. 

[AUG 10] Happy Sunday everyone. This week I have a new Ken's Korner for you where he looks back at Donna's  Atlantic City concerts over the years.

[AUG 10] The latest word on the upcoming Demon Records releases of the 80s albums is that they are still working on them, they hope to release them all at one time,  they hope to make most of them 2 CD releases with lots of extras, and Bruce is working with them. 

[AUG 10] Long Island fans - Legends In Concert is playing the Patchogue Theater August 13 to 17 and they have Rainere Martin performing as Donna. She is the same person who played for the mural unveiling in Boston. Tickets are available through the Gateway Playhouse website. 

[AUG 10] Speaking of Long Island, Bruce Sudano is playing here this week. Look for him in Massapequa, Long Island  at the John Burns park on Wednesday August 13, then he's down in Virginia at the Birchmere Music Hall on Thursday, then back up to Peekskill NY at the Paramount Hudson Valley, on Friday, and then on Saturday August 16, he's back on Long Island at The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center.  Bruce and the band will be opening for the Zombies at all of these events. Oh and one interesting thing to note - the Candyman Band had been reduced to a trio for these shows. It's their first time playing as a trio, so it should be fun for all of us.  :-)

[AUG 10] Johnnyswim fans - yes they are still on tour, and I can tell you now that New York is already sold out. This is why I keep saying to get those tickets early!  In other Johnnyswim news, they are working on an ad campaign for Uniglo, so you may see Amanda and Abner looking at you from some billboard somewhere unexpected.   :-) (Their picture has already been spotted in Boston!) 

[AUG 10] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is Donna's cover of Don't Rain On My Parade,  then there is a television performance of Last Dance,  Donna's cover of Superstar (it's truly amazing!) , a news segment on a San Diego art show, and Try Me from American Bandstand. 

[AUG 3] Greetings all! It's a new month so you know what that means - time to change the Summer Fever Pick. This month we celebrate A Love Trilogy.  :-)

[AUG 3] Brooklyn Sudano fans - she just scored a lead role in the Lifetime original movie, With This Ring.   :-)

[AUG 3] Johnnyswim fans - look for Amanda on the upcoming Doobie Brothers tribute albums called Southbound. It is scheduled to hit stores November 4. 

[AUG 3] I know I sound like a broken record - but I want to remind you all again that Johnnyswim is still on tour, and they are selling out everywhere they go. (So grab your tickets as soon as you can!)  StAugustine.com has a nice review of their recent show.  And while you are in a Johnnyswim frame of mind, check out their interview on Nuvo News. 

[AUG 3] Boston fans - Linda Gaines will be performing at "Skippy White's Rhythm & Blues Record Hop" and birthday tribute to Wanda Sutton at the Grand Hiram Lodge on Sunday August 17. Tickets will be available at  Skippy White's and space is limited so don't wait until the last minute.

[AUG 3] Vienna Dohler fans - as you know she's been posting new music on her YouTube page on a regular basis. Well, now she's making music videos for her songs too.  Check out this one for Farewell. 

[AUG 3] And that brings us to YouTube.  This week look for Giorgio Moroder's tribute to Donna at his performance at the Musilac Music Festival, Glen Rivera's Restructured mix of I Remember Yesterday and his Rumour Has It/Happily Ever After mix,  A promo clip  for Winter Melody,  and 18 minute music video mix,  Forgive Me live, a 5 minute photo story about Donna, and an unusual cover of I Feel Love by Cherry Mint Koala.

[JUL 27] Greetings all! Let's start off with the Boston Roller Disco party again. :-)  The Boston Globe posted an article about it, and if you are on Facebook, the Boston Arts Festival posted a bunch of photos from that night. (If you are lucky, you may even spot yourself.) There are also a number of photos on BostonMagazine.com.

[JUL 27] In release news, Amazon UK (and some other vendors) are showing the 80s albums as being available for download starting September 1. The label releasing them is Crimson which is part of the Demon Records Group - the ones remastering all the 80s stuff.  The speculation is that these September 1 listings are placeholders for the upcoming remasters and as such are subject to change. I guess we will see when Demon puts out a press release.  :-)

[JULY 27] Johnnyswim fans, yes they are STILL on tour (and will be most of the year, so find a time and place where you can go see them), and they are planning to put out a Christmas EP this year.  That release will be accompanied by a Christmas tour. By the way, if you go to a show - check out the merchandise.  Some shows have special posters available, and most shows have a few limited edition white vinyl copies of their album, Diamonds. 

[JUL 27] And while we are talking about Johnnyswim, let me point you in the direction of a couple of new interviews.  The first is on StAugustine.com, and the other is also at StAugustine.com.  (Can you guess which city they were playing?  LOL)

[JUL 27] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is a Donna tribute story from Trez Gregory, a live version of In A New York Minute, a tribute video to Take Heart, a mix called Do You Wanna Get Down, a tribute set to The Way We Were, and Bad Girls live from Belgium.  And then this has only a little Donna content (you hear her music), but there is a 15 minute clip from a 1978 broadcast of 60 Minutes about Disco music.  Specifically it's about recording a record and then promoting it.

[JUL 20] Happy Sunday everyone! Are you Bostonians all rested up from the skate party the other night? For those of us who couldn't be in Boston for the big roller disco party tribute to Donna,  a couple of sites have posted highlights, including The Fab Empire, My Fox Boston, and YouTube. There is even a clip of Donna's nephew Omega Red performing Angel - the song that features Donna's vocals.  If you happen to be on Facebook, check out the Donna Summer groups because people are posting their videos. 

[JUL 20] In the everybody loves Donna category, Gloria Gaynor will be doing a Disco Mania cruise next year and her performance will include a tribute to Donna. 

[JUL 20] Giorgio Moroder fans - check out his interview on the Chicagoist. Donna only gets a very brief mention in this one since they are mainly only talking about his current work.

[JUL 20] Johnnyswim fans, the pair are STILL on tour, and of course that means more promotion.  :-) So check out their Last.fm interview, and their Glide Magazine interview. 

[JUL 20] That brings us to YouTube. First up is a new tribute by our friend Suecase Hall,  The Queen Is Back from Ottawa Bluesfest, 14 minutes of Donna with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra from 2006,  She Works Hard For The Money from RAI, and finally a 2009 acoustic cover of Bad Girls from Bruce Sudano.

[JUL 13] Greetings everyone. :-)  Let's start with this little article. For those who don't feel like clicking, apparently the Demon Music Group has acquired the rights to the Geffen and Atlantic albums, and the first one up for re-release (in an expanded format no less!) Is Another Place And Time because supposedly it has the most bonus material. I do know there were a boatload of remixes for those songs and it would be nice to get them all in one collection.  :-)

[JUL 13]  For those of you who like to follow the charts, this blog has compiled Donna's Top 20 hits from 1974 to 1999 im a whole bunch of countries. The information is presented as an image, so those of you out there with visual issues that make you reliant upon screen readers will have to get a little human help.

[JUL 13] Boston- are you up for a party? On Friday July 18 from 6 to 10 PM City Hall Plaza will be transformed into a FREE roller disco party tribute to Donna. They will be playing Donna mixes of course! and there will even be a couple of drag performers modeling some of Donna's looks. If you don't have skates of your own, there will be some there to rent.  It sounds like a lot of fun!

[JUN 13] In the Donna Summer FANS are everywhere category, the Garden Roses website apparently employs a fan who added the "Disco Queen" rose to the catalog in Donna's honor. They are said to be a very bright orange/scarlet color and if the photo is accurate, they really are really eye-catching!

[JUL 13] And in Gloria Gaynor news 9you will see why in a second) - she's got an autobiography out called I Will Survive, and in support of that she has been doing interviews and things. One, in the Examiner, concludes with a nice little memory of Donna. (And now you see why I mentioned it.) 

[JUL 13] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is an interesting mashup of Donna, Ke$ha, Beyoncé and Madonna called Love To Blow You Baby.  If you are reading this at your job - save that link for home. It's not work-friendly.  Then we have MacArthur Park from the  HBO special,  the JCRZ mix of Driving Down Brazil,  I Feel Love from the Midnight Special, and the video for Fame (The Game). Oh wait - and one more video that was just uploaded - Stamp Your Feet set to soccer (football)  highlights.  :-)

[JUL 6] I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  :-)  This week's update starts off with .. what else? The Grammy Museum Exhibit of course.   :-) A few people have already attended and all I can say is thank god the gowns are behind glass because I think some of you would have slobbered all over them by now.  ;-)  Now, the museum doesn't allow photos to be taken of the exhibit - which is pretty normal museum policy. It's just like how no concert venues will allow you to record the shows, and yet YouTube is full of concert videos. So you know where this is going, right? If you are on Facebook, you may have already seen some of the photos that aren't being taken.  (Check out the Donna groups - you will find the fans who aren't taking pictures.  ;-) ) If YouTube is more your style, then there is this video that wasn't shot, and of course I have no photos on my site. (Wait, was that a hyperlink? How did that happen?  ;-) )   Now for those who just want the important highlights, I counted 9 gowns and 2 wigs. There is a bunch of other cool stuff too, but I know there is a certain obsession with clothes and PARTICULARLY wigs on the forum. 

[JUL 6] Let's move on to the land of remixes. Now playing on Soundcloud is the Division 4 Radio Edit of She Works Hard For The Money.  It sounds like they used the vocals from Live & More Encore. 

[JUL 6] In the land of covers, there is a cover of Hot Stuff that is unlike any version of that song I have ever heard. It is described on YouTube as the Peruvian Folk version of the song. 

[JUL 6] Johnnyswim fans, they've been working with Lincoln cars on their Dream Ride campaign. Check out the video they made with Lincoln here. 

[JUL 6] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, this unreleased gem (which just happens to fit with the July 4 holiday), then there is the Danny Howells  mix of I Feel Love paired with lots of club footage, the 1983 HBO special (taken from VHS), the Patrice Relaxamix of Love To Love You, and She Works Hard For The Money from the Grammys. 

[JUL 1] It's the first of the month so you know the drill. The Summer Fever Pick changes.... this time to Love To Love You Baby.  :-)

[JUN 29] Happy week of celebrations! I know a lot of you were doing Pride celebrations this weekend, We have July 4 here in the US coming up along with Canada Day for our northern neighbors. And of course the most important celebration of them all - the opening of the Donna Summer exhibit at the Grammy Museum on Wednesday!  If you missed that announcement the other day, just scroll down for the press release.   :-)  If you are looking for a tiny little sneak peek, the museum posted this photo on their social media accounts:

[JUN 29] In cover news, I have mentioned previously that Aretha Franklin is working on an album  of covers that will include Last Dance.  She's promising to "give you what you are expecting and what you are not expecting." That is an intriguing promise.  They are hoping for a September release, but that is subject to change since they only recorded about half the songs so far.

[JUN 29] Johnnyswim fans - they are still on tour, and as I keep saying, get your tickets early because they keep selling out.  :-)  The pair did an interview with The Tennessean to promote tonight's show. Check it out - you can find out what it's like to smack David Letterman with a broken guitar string. (Accidentally of course!)   :-)

[JUN 29] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is Patrice's Non-Stop Hit Mix 2  - over an hour of Donna tunes! Then there is his Ballad Collection (another hour of tunes!) ,  Donna on Oprah,  and Donna on Regis and Kathie Lee (with her dishes  LOL). Then in honor of July 4 we have God Bless America,  and The Star Spangled Banner. 

[JUN 24] This just in.... On July 2 the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles will unveil a new temporary exhibit called.... (you are gonna love this!) ... Donna Summer: Four Seasons Of Love.  The exhibit will run until Spring 2015 and will include things like gowns, set design sketches by Donna, handwritten lyrics and notes, rare photos, some of Donna's art.  I'm gonna quote the entire press release in a second, but I want to say first that if any of you west coasters are going and would like to share a report - I'll be happy to publish it!  Now let me just stop doing my happy dance long enough to cut  and paste the press release:

[JUN 22] Happy Sunday everyone.   :-) Let's start off with one more photo from the mural celebration in Boston last week, courtesy of the Boston Globe.  (It also made their photos of the week page.)

[JUN 22] Remix fans, our very own fanmixer Q has returned with his mix of Our Love. 

[JUN 22] Johnnyswim fans: there is a nice interview in the Saratogian, and another in the Boston Herald.  And don't forget, the pair are on tour, so check out the list and if they are coming to you - grab your tickets EARLY!   :-)

[JUN 22] Bruce Sudano fans, check out his new song, Alone, on YouTube.  And stay tuned, because later this summer Bruce will be taping something for Voice Of America.  Also check out these new dates (opening for the Zombies):  
8/13 John Burns Park - Massapequa, NY
8/14 Birchmere Music Hall - Alexandria, VA
8/16 Paramount Hudson Valley - Peekskill, NY
8/16 Westhampton Beach PAC - Westhampton Beach, NY

[JUN 22] Vienna Dohler fans - check out her new songs on YouTube, Bruise and You And I.  Both are original songs.  :-)

[JUN 22] That brings us to YouTube. First up is an hour megamix of Donna music by Patrice, an extended mix of Adonai, Donna on Tavis Smiley, and a half hour profile on Donna . 

[JUN 15] Happy Fathers' Day to all the dads out there! 

[JUN 15] First up some sad news. Casey Kasem, the legendary voice behind American Top 40, passed away today.  I have very fond memories of listening to him count down the top hits every week (especially since so many times, Donna was on the countdown.) My condolences to his family, friends and fans, and to quote the man himself - keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

[JUN 15] Moving on to Donna, as you know the Dreambuilders Youth Project completed a mural of Donna at her former high school. This past Friday, they unveiled the mural with a special reception. You can see BNN News' report on the mural on Vimeo,  and you can see a few photos on the Dreambuilders Youth Facebook page.  There was also a performance by Rainere Martin who plays Donna in shows like Legends In Concert. She has posted a number of clips on her YouTube channel. 

[JUN 15] ARTE in France ran a special on Donna the other night. Some of you may be able to see it online here.  It is a region-restricted video, and I can tell you right now it doesn't work in North America. 

[JUN 15] Cultura.nl has an interview with the person who painted the flames on Donna's Rotterdam costume. It's in Dutch, so if that's not your language, you need to find a cute guy (or girl - whatever floats your boat)  from the Netherlands to translate.  ;-) 

[JUN 15] The Disco Soul Gold blog has an interview with Jeanette Wilson - someone who used to work with Donna as a stylist/personal assistant.

[JUN 15] If you want to hear a cool tribute to Donna, check out  Bad Girl by Kevin Saunderson & Inner City. Note that the title is singular - it is not a cover of Donna's song. This is a new song that pays tribute to Donna.

[JUN 15] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start with Pete Waterman's tribute to Donna (with  help from his new 16 year old artist, James Graham).  It features Love's About To Change My Heart re-imagined as a ballad. I would have loved to hear Donna try it like that at least once.  Then we have the entire John Walsh Show with Donna, Chaka Khan and Grandmaster Flash. (That was taped over the course of 3 days - watch the audience change for each guest.  LOL) Also check out Donna singing Let It Be,  a rehearsal segment for Divas 2000, and an audio only video for the Rollo & Sister Bliss mix of I Feel Love. 

[JUN 8]  Greetings all!  :-) Let's start with some timely info.    On June 13, as I'm sure many of you know,  the Jeremiah E Burke High School in Boston is holding an event to celebrate Donna, and to unveil the  mural they made in her honor.  You can read more about the event and see the mural here. 

[JUN 8] There is a report on Facebook that the Demon Music Group has signed a deal to remaster and reissue the post-Casablanca albums.  Now it's way too early for release dates or even details about the releases, but all I can say is that it will be nice to see the Geffen albums get a little love for a change. (Not to mention Another Place And Time, and Mistaken Identity!)

[JUN 8] Here's one to make you laugh. Imagine Donna Summer showing up on the same list of musical artists as AC/DC, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, etc? Well she did. But it was a list of artists banned in the former Soviet Union in the 80s.  You can see the whole list here.  (Hmmm, my top 2 divas are both on the list. IS that a good thing or a bad thing?  LOL)

[JUN 8] Ok Johnnyswim fans, I'm going to say it again - if you plan to catch one of their shows, get those tickets early! They are still selling out everywhere they go.  If you need a fix now though, check out these recent articles from TheUnion.com, the SFExaminer, and LAist.com. 

[JUN 8] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is Philippe's video remix for How I Feel.  (That was a song from the musical The Me Nobody Knows, for those of you who can't place it.)  Then we have Supernatural Love (plus interview) from Soul Train, some live footage from Rotterdam, 2001, She Works Hard For The Money live from the Tonight Show, and finally a clip of Dinner With Gershwin. 

[JUN 1] Happy Sunday everybody. It's June 1 so that means 2 things. First of all, it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month it is Lady Of the Night.  Of course June 1 is also the start of LGBT Pride month, so I expect that there will be lots of Donna playing at events everywhere.  :-)

[JUN 1]  There's nothing really going on at the moment, as far as Donna is concerned anyway.  But I do want to pass along some info from the Fan Club. Apparently there was a glitch with a few of the recent merchandise orders. The issue has been fixed and the missing orders are going out this week. Also - and this affects EVERYBODY (in a good way!) - the fan club merchandise will be redesigned some time this summer.  So if you want the original designs, you better order soon because once the new designs are out, the old ones will be retired. 

[JUN 1] So let's move on to Johnnyswim.  :-)  They have a new video for Home. It very nicely captures the spirit and energy of the song. You can see it on the YouTube link I posted, but if you watch VH1 or CMT, keep your eyes open for it there too.  :-)

[JUN 1] The Seattle Times has a short but good interview with Johnnyswim to promote last night's concert.

[JUN 1] And don't forget that Johnnyswim is currently on tour. I keep saying this (but only because it's true) if they are coming to your area, grab your tickets as soon as you can because the duo are selling out everywhere and you do not want to miss the chance to see them live.  And if you haven't grabbed your copy of Diamonds over at Amazon or iTunes, well then I just don't know what to do with you.  ;-)

[JUN 1] That brings us to YouTube. First up is some rehearsal stuff from the Enough Is Enough sessions,  a video for I Remember Yesterday,  a Stampyurfeet video for the dance version of La Vie En Rose, rehearsal footage of I Don't Wanna Work That Hard,  and the video for Fame (The Game).

[MAY 25] Happy Memorial Day everyone. As many of you know, this weekend marks the official start of the summer season here in the US. That, of course, makes it the perfect time to bring your Donna tunes outside to the picnics, barbeques, and  "sick" days from work.  ;-)  

[MAY 25]  So let's start off this week with a statue... or rather, a request for a statue. Apparently there is a group on Facebook pushing for a statue of Donna to be erected in Boston. (There are Donna Summer fans on Facebook? Who knew?  LOL) The difference between this group and all the other Donna groups on Facebook is that this one got a mention in the Boston Herald.  So maybe this statue could really happen.  (Although I have to admit to having mixed feelings about that. A statue would be really cool, but who'd have to clean it every day after the pigeons desecrated it?   ;-)  )

[MAY 25] In honor of the start of the summer season, Billboard compiled a Top 20 list of "cool songs with 'hot titles'.'" Guess what song came in at #1? I'll give you a hint, it's a famous Donna Summer song.  ;-)

[MAY 25] Da-Professor's Lounge has posted a tribute to Donna. It features commentary and music, and it runs a mere 4 hours and change.  So if you need something to play on a lazy holiday afternoon - this has you covered. :-) 

[MAY 25] In severely annoying news, at the end of an article about a weird study (and exceedingly small) on homophobia, Huffington Post tacked on a slideshow of celebs who they say have made made homophobic statements in the past. Yes, they stuck Donna on the list - and they included a quote she was never even accused of making while she was still alive. Can I just say, the woman is dead. She can no longer defend herself. Leave her alone already. Putting her on lists like that only serves to hurt the people who love her. If you have to pick on anyone, pick on the living. They can still defend themselves. And maybe, (if the stars align just so) you can even convince them to reconsider their opinions. 

[MAY 25] On to something more fun.  You Bruce Sudano fans will be happy to hear that Christian John Wikane was at Bruce's Bitter End show this month. That means that PopMatters has an awesome review of the show. 

[MAY 25] Vienna Dohler fans: (and I think I can safely say we have at least a few here  :-) ) she has a new original song on YouTube called Come.  I'm telling you , that whole Gaines/Summer/Sudano/Dohler/Ramirez family is hogging all the good music creating genes! 

[MAY 25] Johnnyswim fans - I have chart news for you. Unfortunately this week, Diamonds drops to #173 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums. Time to round up your friends and make them pick up a copy. (It should be easy - play them your copy and they will be hooked!) Don't forget, the pair is still on tour in support of Diamonds, so check out their tour schedule. If you see a show you can get to, grab your tickets early because they have been selling out all over the place.  :-)  You will hate yourself if you miss out.

[MAY 25] That brings us to YouTube. First up is Donna and the Brooklyn Dreams from the Midnight Special doing Heaven Knows. Then we have Donna's CNN interview about Michael Jackson's death, Glenn Rivera's Restructured Mix of Je T'Aime, a re-edit of Could It Be Magic, Love To Love You from the Midnight Special, and Last Dance, also from the Midnight Special. 

[MAY 25] Finally, I would just like to say that while Memorial Day is traditionally the start of summer fun, it is also (and more importantly) a time to look back and remember the military service people we have lost over the years. So I would like to say thank you to all the families of service people everywhere for your sacrifices.  Someone may choose to join the army or navy or whatever, and they choose to accept the risk that goes with it. The families don't make that choice, but they have to live with the consequences.  So my hat is off to all the spouses, children and parents of the fallen.  And my hope is that one day, humans will evolve to the point where we don't have to send people out to fight wars.  (Maybe in a millennia or 2 or 3?)

[MAY 18] Well, yesterday marked the 2 year anniversary of the day we lost our diva.  I hope you all were able to spend the day reliving the happy memories and playing all of Donna's songs.  (Okay, maybe not ALL of them, there are only 24 hours in a day after all.  ;-) )

[MAY 18] Let me start off with some personal business. As I said the other day, I reached my goal for the MS Walk thanks to your incredible generosity. I didn't think mere words on a page could adequately express my gratitude, so  I grabbed my team captain and at the risk of total life-threatening embarrassment, we recorded a short little message for you guys. (Please keep in mind that I HATE being on camera.  LOL ) If you are on Facebook, you may have seen it already. If not, then here it is:

[MAY 18] I would also like to give a special shout out to Paul, who has been extra generous in his support, and who has been an all around great guy in our correspondence about the walk.  He asked me if I would share these photos with you, and as far as I am concerned, that is the least I can do.  :-) As for the rest of you donors, I will be in touch this week. I have Donna postcards for you.  :-)

(As always, click 'em to make 'em bigger.

[MAY 18] OK - on to Donna.  :-)  First up, a gentleman by the name of Elliot Mintz who was a radio and television talk show host, and later a media consultant. He has quite a collection of interviews he's done posted on his brand new website. One of them is an in-depth 1978 interview with Donna.  It runs over an hour, but it is well worth a listen. The site is ElliotMintz.com and I'll just tell you now that you will have to accept his user agreement upon entering the site, and then sit through enough of the intro for the "skip" button to appear so that you can get into the main site.  When the jukebox with the menu options comes up, click the "150 interviews" button then click over to page 4 to find Donna. 

[MAY 18] DJ Ben Liebrand is releasing another of his Grand 12 Inches collections. This one is #11 and it will include the MacArthur Park Suite. 

[MAY 18] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is a Donna Summer Tribute mix by DJ Soph-eye Richard. That clocks in at something like 40 minutes, so leave yourself plenty of time to enjoy it.  :-) Then we have DJ DiscoCat's mix of One Of A Kind, Dinner With Gershwin (and an interview) from Jay Leno, Patrice's 12" La Dolce Vita Mix video, Science Of Love from SiriusXM's Artist Confidential, and Last Dance from the same show. 

[MAY 15] Thank you all! Because of your generosity, I have reached my goal for the MS Walk!  I am grateful for your support, and my team captain is in utter amazement of how awesome Donna Summer fans are.  Thanks to the cool people at Daeida Magazine, I have some cool postcards with the Summer Collection illustration to hand out to my donors. And of course I have the final MS PSA that Donna did in 2001.  Thanks again for all your support - not just for the walk, but for everything all these years.  I will be walking at Jones Beach on Saturday (and blasting those Donna tunes in the car both ways!) And since there is a chance of rain, I'll be looking out for a rainbow or 2.  I'll be back this weekend with the regular update.  :-)

[MAY 11] Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  Let's start off with some good news. You guys remember Daeida Magazine? Well, it was on hiatus for about 6 months, and now it's back!  :-) And yes they are still showing Donna some love. The new issue is all about the cover illustration for the 1985 Summer Collection.  Now, you can read the whole magazine online for free, but if you opt to buy a copy you get a few extra little goodies to go with it:  a promotional postcard, a 2 sided bookmark with the original sketch and the finished illustration, AND an 6x6 autographed print of the complete illustration. The site is Daeida.com, so go check it out.  (And before you ask about the Nellie Prestwood interview we saw the first part of in the last issue... that will be completed in a future edition.  :-)  )

[MAY 11] Now here's a little something to make you feel old.  The album Lady Of The Night turns 40 this year.  And in honor of that milestone, Blogcritic.com has an article on the album.  It's nice to see Lady Of The Night getting a little attention - it usually gets overlooked in favor of Love To Love You. 

[MAY 11] Are you looking for something Donna-related for dinner?  The Tennessean recently had an article featuring recipes from 3 celebrity moms. Donna was represented by what they are calling a "High Octane Salad."  (Nice timing too - it's becoming salad weather around here. )

[MAY 11] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce has posted a short clip from his show at The Bitter End. It's a short bit of a new song called Why Aren't You Here. 

[MAY 11] Now for the Johnnyswim fans out there.... guess what? Diamonds hit the Billboard too 200 album chart. It debuted Thursday at #29!  Way to go Johnnyswim!!

[MAY 11] Now if you are looking for a little Johnnyswim fix, there is a nice interview on Pastemagazine.com, another one on AntiMusic.com, and one more at Creative Loafing Charlotte.  And don't forget, Johnnyswim is currently on tour. If they are coming to your area, grab your tickets early - they are selling out all over the place.  :-)

[MAY 11] That brings us to YouTube.  First up is a special Mother's Day video for Mimi's Song by our own Suecase Hall, then there is MacArthur Park from a TV appearance, Glenn Rivera's Love Is The Healer (I Feel Love) mix, and She Works Hard For The Money from Musik Laden. 

[MAY 11] Next weekend is my MS Walk. I am almost at my goal and I just want to say thank you to all of you who have supported me so far.  My team captain and fellow teammates are also astounded by the generosity of Donna Summer fane.  :-) There is still time to donate if you would like, but no pressure. I'm just hoarding one more PSA....  ;-)

[MAY 11] And finally, Saturday is May 17 - the 2 year anniversary of Donna's passing.  To mark the day, I'd like everyone to go out and do 2 things. First, try to do something nice for someone. Whether it's donating time or money to charity, or letting someone cut you in line at the supermarket, or treating your significant other to something special.... just do something nice that fits in with your lifestyle. And then of course the other thing I'd like you to do is blast those Donna tunes as loud as you can. And remember - sing if you wanna sing, and dance if you wanna dance.  I think she'd like that very much.  :-)

[MAY 4] Happy Cinco de Mayo (almost) everyone. Let's start off with the new Summer Fever Pick.  It's time to take another look at Donna's musicals.   :-)

[MAY 4] Let's start with some new rereleases. Culture Factory has released She Works Hard For The Money and I Remember Yesterday as vinyl replica CDs. That means CDs that are made to look like the vinyl release right down to a replica album sleeve. They are really cool looking and even more importantly, they are remastered. I know some of you have been looking forward to these for awhile, so know that they are officially in stock at Amazon right now, and eligible for Prime shipping if you are a Prime member.  Now having said all that, there are people complaining about distortion on some of the SWHFTM tracks. I don't have my copies yet, so I haven't heard with my own ears yet. It seems to be mainly people with high end audio equipment doing the complaining, so keep that in mind when you order. (And remember that Amazon usually has a pretty decent return policy if the disk you get sounds too messed up.)

[MAY 4] There is a website out there that specializes in ....ummm... let's just say unreleased concerts. I mention it because they have quite a list of Donna shows available. Or so they say. People trying to access the site have found that either it doesn't work, or more concerning - that their antivirus software flags it as a malicious site.  So I just want to remind you all, that if you see something that looks too good to be true - tread VERY carefully!  Virus removal is NOT fun.

[MAY 4] In something way more fun, Sensiblereason.com has an article celebrating 35 years of Bad Girls. (Yes the album is 35 years old, and yes we are old!  LOL)

[MAY 4] Let's move on to Bruce Sudano. He played the Bitter End the other night and I finally got to see him and the Candyman Band in person.  Let me tell you why you NEED to see Bruce in concert. While most artists would stick to songs from the new album plus maybe a couple of popular ones from the old albums, Bruce takes a slightly different approach. He does some new songs of course, he threw in a (not so old one), and then he did some stuff that hasn't been released yet - including one song that he said they had never performed together.  So a Bruce Sudano concert is an adventure.  :-)  Oh and good news - Bruce told us after the show that The Bitter End wants him back.  :-)  (As well they should - he had a nice noisy crowd of family, friends and fans.)

You can click these for a larger version. (Side note to Scott - See, I did post it!)

[MAY 4] Johnnyswim fans - did you get Diamonds yet? (Amazon or iTunes) It is absolutely amazing! When it came out the other night, it was #1 on iTunes charts on the all genres list. Last time I looked it was hovering around #12 on that chart, and it was #1 on the singer songwriter chart.  I'm telling you, Johnnyswim is going places!  Once you have the album, you are going to want to catch them live, so check out tour schedule. Tickets for the Los Angeles show just went on sale, and there are plenty of other dates coming up.  And if you can't make a date (or are just too impatient to wait for them to get to you), well then you can console yourself with this NPR Tiny Desk concert.

[MAY 4] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week we have a vintage clip of Winter Melody, the whole Hot Summer Night show, Spring Affair, and a  Johnnyswim interview on many things including Donna's Hall Of Fame induction.

[MAY 4] And finally - I'm still a little short of my goal for the MS Walk on May 17.  And more importantly, my team captain is about to catch up with me (as soon as she inputs what she earned from a couple of cool offline events) and I can't have that happen!  LOL  I only need $330 to make my goal... no wait scratch that. It's more like $285 because I have a little offline money to input myself.)  So if you have an extra dollar or two kicking around and you have nothing better to do with it....   ;-)   But on a more serious note, it is surprising to me just how many people I encounter with a personal connection to MS. And I'm not talking about my pharmacy customers - just other people I see in everyday life who have a mom, or a cousin, or a brother, or a friend, or whoever with MS.  And it's the sort of disease that's really unpredictable in how it can affect someone. Since it affects the brain, depending on where the lesions are, a person could have vision problems or mobility problems or just about anything else.  Fortunately my team captain is doing really well, but there are other people who are stuck in wheelchairs, and others who have died.  You just never know. 

[APR 27] Happy Sunday everyone!  Let's start off with a couple of reminders. First up, don't forget that Johnnyswim's Diamonds is out on Tuesday.  If you pre-ordered on iTunes, make sure you have the program open at some point on Tuesday so you can get your downloads.  If you are impatient, you can stream it here (legally!)  If you didn't order it yet, head over to Amazon or iTunes and grab a copy.  

[APR 27] Then  on Friday (May 2), Bruce Sudano makes his long awaited return to New York to perform at The Bitter End with his Candyman Band.  He is scheduled to hit the stage at 9 PM. If you need a little something to get revved up for the show, check out the tracks on Bruce's SoundCloud including one he just posted called The Man Nobody Knows. 

[APR 27] In Donna news, the  3ChicsPolitico blog spent a week talking disco and they ended with the spotlight on Donna. 

[APR 27] That brings us to YouTube.  This week we have She Works Hard For The Money from the Grammys, Last Dance from American Bandstand, Send In The Clowns (because Sandro reminded me how amazing this one is), and finally Barry Manilow and Donna performing Could It Be Magic in one of the most fun clips ever. (That's how I like to remember Donna in concert - having fun and being funny!) 

[APR 20] Happy Easter, Passover, Earth Day, 4/20 and Sunday everyone.   :-)

[APR 20] Calling all you crazy voters out there -  Pop Icons Weekly is polling people to determine the best 70s icon. Right now, Donna is in 6th place. We only have until April 27 to vote, so let's see how high we can take her.  :-)

[APR 20] Get ready for the parody musical I Know What You Did Last (Donna) Summer.  It is said to be a parody of the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer franchises, set of course, to Donna's music.  It opens on May 2 at the Cavern CLub Theater in Silver Lake, CA. 

[APR 20] Johnnyswim fans - catch them on VH1's Morning Buzz TOMORROW (April 21) playing songs from the upcoming album Diamonds.  I would tell you all to run out and buy Diamonds on April 29, but I am SURE you all already pre-ordered your copies. (But don't forget to go download your pre-ordered copy on that date!)  :-)  And don't forget to check out their tour schedule. New dates get added from time to time - including one on June 3 in Los Angeles. 

[APR 20] Bruce Sudano fans - he's posted a new song on YouTube called These Shoes. That's his Candyman Band backing him up.  And don't forget - if you are (or will be) in the New York area, you can catch him live at The Bitter End on May 2. 

[APR 20]  As you all know, I am walking to fight MS next month. Those of you on Facebook may have seen this already, but I am 3/4 of the way to my goal of $2012. And so, I have made the third of 4 of Donna's MS PSA's available on YouTube.  Some of you may remember she did a concert with VH1 to support Rock To Erase MS, and she recorded he PSAs to air during the broadcast.  I gave you the first 2 when I got half way to my goal. Now you have #3, and I think you can guess when I will post #4.  :-) 

[APR 20] And speaking of YouTube, time to check out what's there. First up is  the song When I Look Up by Darren Hobbs (featuring Donna), En 10 Minutos: Donna Summer, Patrice's video for Jandry's mix of Be Myself Again, a winter slideshow set to Winter Melody, and She Works Hard For The Money from the Hot Summer Night Special.

[APR 13] Happy Sunday everyone. I have great news about the Donna mural project. They have reached their fundraising goal and surpassed it. I knew we could do it! Thank you all for supporting the project and of course for supporting Donna's legacy.  :-)

[APR 13] As you know, last week on Bravo's Flipping Out, one of Donna's former homes made an appearance (not that she'd lived in it since the 90s.) The episode title is "Flipping Nashville" and the house you are looking for is the one the client ends up buying. The episode is available for sale at Amazon.com. (You'll have to sit through a lot of reality show drama between houses, so keep your finger on the fast forward button if that's not your thing.)

[APR 13] In the Donna is everywhere category, she "appears" on the latest episode of Family Guy. A giraffe bursts into a restaurant and asks a woman at the table if she is Donna Summer. The woman says yes. I should probably mention that this is a cartoon - for those of you who are unfamiliar with the program.

[APR 13] For those of us who love MacArthur Park, there is an interview with the songwriter specifically about the song. Yes, he addresses the cake.  :-)

[APR 13] The land of covers, there is an interesting Salsa cover of On The Radio that is sung partly in Spanish. It's not Donna of course, but it's not bad. :-)

[APR 13] Moving on to Johnnyswim. They did a live online event for SerialBox.com and you can catch it here. And check out the interview they also did for SerialBox. And don't forget the pair are currently on tour in support of their upcoming album, Diamonds available for pre-order at Amazon or iTunes.

[APR 13] And then we have Vienna Dohler - she and her friend Camille and doing a fundraiser for childhood cancer.  Check out the details here. 

[APR 13] That brings us to YouTube. First up is a promo for On The Radio, the State Of Independence video, Glenn Rivera's Restructured I Feel Love mix, the All Systems Go video,and  I Feel Love from the Midnight Special.

[APR 13] And finally, I took a break from plugging my MS Walk because I didn't want to compete with the mural project, but if you happen to have a couple of bucks left over and are looking for a cause to give them to, well here is my MS page.  I'm still forking towards my goal of $2012.  :-)

[APR 6] This week we start with some sad news. Legendary DJ/remixer Frankie Knuckles passed away last week at the far too young age of 59. If you are a fan of dance music, then you have probably heard dozens and dozens of his remixes.  If you are someone who doesn't follow the remix scene and aren't sure if you have heard any of his mixes - just dig out your copy of Love To Love You Donna and play Hot Stuff.  My condolences go out to his family, friends and admirers.

[APR 6] Moving on to happier news,  this Wednesday April 9 is the premiere of the Nashville episode of Bravo's Flipping Out which should include one of Donna's former homes. 

[APR 6] There are only 6 more days to donate to the Donna Summer mural.  They only need $621 more. Surely between us we can do that?

[APR 6] NeverUndressed.com posted a photo gallery of women who they consider the beauty icons of the 70s. Donna si there on the list.  :-)

[APR 6] Here's one of those things that make you go hmmmm...  a blogger claims he saw Donna sing karaoke in a bar in Boston. Not he admits that it could have been just an impersonator, but whatever the truth is, at least he has a nice memory.  :-)

[APR 6] Johnnyswim fans, they sneaked in an appearance on the David Letterman Show last week. You can see it here.  (It may be region-restricted because it's the network's website. In any case, if you have an ad-blocker, you need to disable it for that page.)

[APR 6] Also catch Johnnyswim Tuesday April 8 at 1 PM (Eastern) for a live streaming event at SerialBoxPresents.com. There will be live performances, interviews and more.

[APR 6] And don't forget you can pre-order their new album Diamonds at Amazon or iTunes. (If you buy it at iTunes, you get 2 tracks now to listen to.)  And if you are looking for a live Johnnyswim fix, check out their tour schedule.

[APR 6] Bruce fans, don't forget he is FINALLY coming back to play New York at The Bitter End on May 2.

[APR 6] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up if Giorgio Moroder playing I Feel Love in one of his DJ sets, then there is the entire 1979 concert from Japan,  Love To Love You from a 1976 TV appearance, and finally an audio only clip of the Hot Stuff mix by Eric Kupper and the late Frankie Knuckles.

[APR 2] And now for the real Summer Fever Page!  :-)

[APR 1] Since it's April 1 (almost) it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. If you've been keeping track, we are finally up to Crayons. 

[APR 1] And while I'm here I have 2 reminders. Johnnyswim's Diamonds is available for pre-order at Amazon now and at iTunes either now or later on tonight depending on when you read this. It's actually only 11 PM on March 31 EDT as I write this.)

[APR 1] Also - don't forget about the Donna Summer mural. They still need $1900 more to reach their goal and time is ticking away.....

[MAR 30] Happy Sunday everyone!  :-) I'm going to harass you again about the Donna mural at her old high school. They only need about $1900 more (as of this writing) but there are only 13 more days to contribute. Of you have an extra dollar or two (or 1900 LOL) please consider donating it to the cause. They have a number of cool perks available to donors too. The Boston Globe has a short article about the mural project. You can see it here.

[MAR 30] Johnnyswim fans: You will be able to pre-order the new album, Diamonds starting April 1. (The release date is April 29.)  The pair are promising all kinds of fun for April 1. They will be streaming something "top secret" and live tweeting about it.

[MAR 30] In other Johnnyswim news, they have joined the lineup for Lollapalooza 2014 to be held in Chicago. Johnnyswim take the stage Saturday August 2. 

[MAR 30] And just in case you need a little something to tide you over until Tuesday's fun.... check out this new Billboard interview with Johnnyswim where we get yet ANOTHER version of how the band got its name.   :-)  You can hear the song Home on the Billboard page too.

[MAR 30] In Bruce Sudano news, he's posted a new clip to his Soundcloud page. He says they start every rehearsal with a jam and he's posted one that's about 9 minutes of jazz.  It's got a nice groove to it - it's good music for updating a website to...   ;-)

[MAR 30] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is a tribute video by Suecase Hall set to The Impossible Dream,  then a brief overview of Donna's career -  in Spanish, the video for When Love Takes Over You, On The Radio from 1981, an interview from Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous, and a cover of Always Something There To Remind Me. 

[MAR 23] Happy Spring everyone!  Let's start off with the Donna mural again. As of right now, they only need another $2500 to make the mural a reality. But there are only 20 more days to contribute, so we've got to act fast.  Let me share an email that our friend LST DNCE sent to his friends and family. (I edited it only enough to protect his privacy and the privacy of his family.)

This is a legit email from your friend/family LST DNCE. First off, I'm asking you to consider donating to this cause. If you're first answer is no then delete this and I'm sorry I bothered you and I hope all is well with you.

Now that you have kept reading....Many of you know my Donna history...Donna Summer has always been a HUGE passion in my life since 1975 and this fundraising cause will leverage Donna's Legacy to inspire others to be successful just as Donna is. This cause is funding a mural in Donna's Boston High School, the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, so that today's youth are encouraged to stay on a path towards achievement and building on their dreams. As a Boston Public School graduate I was inspired by others before me who made is possible to achieve a Harvard Masters Degree and a very successful and enjoyable career. I'm committed to help others who grow up in the same circumstances to become all they can be and feel confident about taking on challenges as they become the future of our society. They can't do this alone unless they are inspired by others who prove that they can grow beyond their means to become whatever and whoever they desire.

On a more personal note, my sister went to this high school with Donna and can you imagine my awe when I realized that my muse rubbed elbows with my sister! On top of that, another family friend was Donna's banker in her early years of success and I was just about to explode wondering how I was missing out on such close contact with Donna!!!! Needless to say when I first met Donna on Friday, July 2, 1999 at the Today Show I had years of built up desire to just spend the day with her catching up on this history as if she was a known friend. Of course, Donna, being the pleasant person she is, was chatting with me as if we were friends, even if it wasn't for the whole day. But those precious 30 or so minutes will stay with me as if they were the whole day.

<snip>

So these two brief stories lead me to my request that you consider donating what you can to achieve the goal so the Donna Summer Mural can become a reality for so many other inner city kids like yours truly. Sadly, Donna has left us to join the Disco in Heaven and her passing was on Thursday, May 17, 2012. So if you contribute $5.17 or $51.72 or $517.12, that would be a memorable amount building on this mural to make it a reality.....or any amount in between that is possible will surely achieve the goal and trust me, when the Donna Summer Mural is complete I will be there and send each of you a photo of that wonderful event.

In closing, yes, I am and always will be a Donna Summer diehard fan! And who can ask for anything more than having a lifelong passion who will always provide enjoyment, guidance, comfort and inspiration in a talent such as Donna Summer who has no boundaries and reminds us that you can always carry on until your LAST DANCE!!!!

Thank you and at this time of year you should find a way to play/hear Donna singing "SPRING AFFAIR"

[MAR 23] Ok you guys all know Donna lived in Nashville. She had different  houses there at different times and the one she had in the early 90s is going to be featured on the show, Flipping Out. The house has been recently purchased and the episode will feature before and after pictures of the place. According to Wikipedia, the airdate will be April 9, but keep an eye on the show's website for confirmation of that.

[MAR 23] How about something silly? A NASCAR reporter met Donna at a race today. Well, at least he thought  he did.  LOL  The poor guy is probably ready to crawl under a rock now that places like TMZ are pointing out that Donna passed away almost 2 years ago.  You can see the video here.  

[MAR 23] And here's another silly thing that isn't Donna related - thank god!  LOL  There is an article called Who Killed Disco? 7 Suspects Revealed. I have to say.... there are some scary things on that list!  LOL The Disco Polka album really sounds like something we made up  on the forum, but apparently it was real. 

[MAR 23] Bruce Sudano fans - he is FINALLY coming to New York to play The Bitter End on May 2. (It's about time you came East again Bruce!  LOL)  You can see his billboard in Times Square here. (It's a Facebook link, hopefully it works for everyone.)

[MAR 23] As most of you know, Bruce performed  in LA the other night and he debuted a new song called Alone. Someone did get video and they put it on Facebook. Here is the link, I hope it works for everyone. (It's not something I'll be able to download and share by alternate means if Facebook won't work for you. I already tried... )

[MAR 23] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is Sal's really cool video for the Knuckles & Kupper Hot Stuff mix, ten there is This Time I Know It's For Real, from an Italian TV Show I think, a slideshow set to the vaulted track, Walk Hand In Hand, and a sassy clip of Hot Stuff/Bad Girls from the UK. 

[MAR 16] Happy St. Patty's Day everyone! (Well, almost anyway. :-) ) There's not a lot of Donna news at the moment, so let me just remind you that the kids at Donna's old high school are still trying to raise money for that mural they are doing to honor her legacy. At this moment they only have 19 days left and they aren't even half way to their goal yet. This is about honoring Donna's legacy and about inspiring the younger generation. If you have a couple of bucks to spare, think about tossing it their way.  :-) 

[MAR 16] That brings me to the family, now where should I start? I guess we should start with the oldest and work out way down the list.  :-)  So... Bruce fans will be happy to hear that he has been interviewed yet again - this time for Elmore Magazine. In it, Bruce talks about With Angels On A Carousel and about songwriting in general.  Also if you are in the LA area (or will be) - Bruce and the Candyman Band will be playing at Genghis Cohen on March 21.  Be there! :-)

[MAR 16] In the land of Johnnyswim, they are currently on tour and are gearing up for the release of their first full length album, Diamonds, due out on April 29. Part of that tour placed the pair at the SXSW Festival where VH1 recorded these comments on the keynote address. If you check out their Instagram feed, you can see some of the recent photos they posted from SXSW (and other things.) AND for those of you who haven't seen it yet, the Johnnyswim episode of Live At Daryl's House is now live on the Live From Daryl's House website. 

[MAR 16] And that brings us to the next generation... Vienna Dohler.  She's Mimi's oldest, and quite a singer/songwriter in her own right already. Vienna has a whole bunch of songs posted on ReverbNation.com for sale with half the proceeds going to the charity Keep A Child Alive. (So that makes her talented AND a good kid! They are doing something right in that family.  :-) )  So after you get over feeling old because the little kid on the Live & More album cover is old enough to have a kid who is old enough to be recording (where did the time go?) then head over to ReverbNation and grab some tracks.  :-)

[MAR 16] And one more thing before I get to this week's YouTube list... As many of you know, I've been begging for money for my MS Walk on May 17. I am a little more than half way to my goal of $2012, so I thought  a little token of my appreciation was in order. Many of you may remember that in 2001 Donna performed on a VH1 special that also raised money for MS. In addition to performing, Donna recorded 4 Public Service Announcements to air during the special. I have those PSAs on a DVD and I have uploaded 2 of them to YouTube in honor of hitting half my goal. I'll leave it to your imagination as to when I will post the last 2.  :-)  I should warn you though that the quality isn't as good as I would have liked. My DVD got corrupted and it was all I could do to get it to play on anything. So instead of ripping the video, I ended up having to record my TV screen with a camcorder.  So here is PSA #1 and PSA #2. 

[MAR 16] That brings us to YouTube. This week look for Donna on The Word in 1991, the FULL Japanese concert from 1979, the FULL Italian concert from 1977, Bad Girls/Hot Stuff from the Nobel Peace Prize concert, and a live performance of The Impossible Dream. 

[MAR 9] Happy Sunday everyone! Did you all survive the time change this morning? (Well, those of you had to switch to Daylight Savings Time...)

[MAR 9] Let's start with the mural the kids in Boston are  making at Donna's old high school. They are still trying to raise money for the project, and with only 26 days left to raise money, they still need just about $4000. They have various perks available for different contribution amounts, but really - you can toss in as little as $1 if that's all you can spare. It's just important that the kids make their goal so that the mural can be completed!  :-)

[MAR 9] The other night a concert was taped at the White House honoring the Women Of Soul. (It will be broadcast on PBS starting April 7 as "In Performance At The White House: Women Of Soul" - check your local listings.) They had a bunch of cool people there like Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Jill Scott, Melissa Etheridge, and a young lady named Tessane Chin who did a really good cover of Last Dance. I believe she may be one of us!  ;-)

[MAR 9] Bruce Sudano fans: Catch him live at Genghis Cohen in LA on March 21. And if you need a little something to tide you over until then... check out this NEW song called No Surprise that Bruce put up on his Soundcloud this weekend. 

[MAR 9] Johnnyswim fans: Keep an eye on this page on NPR.org. The pair are performing tonight for a special event for Generation Listen and video highlights will be posted there when they are available.  Also, Broadwayworld.com has an article to promote the upcoming album, Diamonds, and the tour that goes along with it. 

[MAR 9] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is the video for Fame The Game, then there is the Queens Of Pop special, the ENTIRE Hot Summer Night With Donna special, and Donna with Joss Stone on Try A Little Tenderness.

[MAR 9] And finally - if you have a dollar or two left after donating to Donna's mural, I am about half way to my goal of $2012 for the MS Walk this year. If I hit that, I have someone who will be happy to toss me another $517.  My walk is on $517 at Jones Beach and I will be thinking of every Donna concert I've ever seen there. Any little bit you can throw in is greatly appreciated.  :-)

[MAR 1] Well, it's March 1 so you guys know what that means... time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month it's Live & More Encore.  I expect you all to spend the month saying things like "Sorry Rod", and "unplucked section."  :-) What are you laughing at? It works for Barbra...

[MAR 1]  I know we have some remix fans out there. If you have ever wondered how a remixer works his or her magic on a song, check out this video about the making of the Hot Chip mix of Sunset People.

[MAR 1]  The blog, My Fabulous Disease, has reposted a very nice tribute to Donna that was originally published in May 2012. If you missed it back then, go read it now. And if you did see it then, go back and reread it.

[MAR 1] In the Donna is everywhere category, Pop Matters has an article on Kylie Minogue and Madonna that talks about how their music carries on where Donna left off in the early 80s. (The article is actually much better than I just made it sound.  LOL)

[MAR 1] Bruce Sudano fans: catch him at Genghis Cohen on LA on Friday March 21 at 8:30. Be there!  Also, Bruce has released his new video for Neighborhood Of My Dreams - shot in his old Brooklyn stomping ground. 

[MAR 1] Johnnyswim fans: Their episode of Live From Daryl's House is streaming now on VH1.com. For those of you wondering about the name "Johnnyswim"... well, the pair has yet another story on where they got the name.  ;-) 

[MAR 1] If you need a little more Johnnyswim, check out their interview on QCTimes.com.

[MAR 1] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the Summer Fever Pick, let's start with part 1 and part 2 of the interview Donna did to promote the VH1 special.  Then there is Donna's performance of I Will Go With You (and the interview) from the Rosie O'Donnell Show, Enough Is Enough from the same show, Donna and fans on The View, another appearance on The View,  Donna on Queen Latifah part 1 and part 2, and finally, Donna on Oprah.

[FEB 23] I have a challenge for my MS Walk. We have a generous Donna fan who said that if I make $2000 he will thrown in another $517. I am amazed! And my team captain may have fainted when I told her.  In fact, since I am now officially walking in my Donna gear, she would like to do something too to thank the Donna community if I hit $2000. I have t-shirts I could loan her to wear on the walk, we could get a boombox  and play some Donna tunes while we walk... actually, we are open to suggestions. (But the first person who says we should play I Will Survive will be ridiculed publicly!  LOL) If we hit $2000 what would you like to see my team captain do? (And keep it clean guys - we have some young children on our team.  Some are so young they can't even walk yet!  LOL)  Let me take this opportunity to thank those who have donated so far - you guys are awesome! And for those of you who haven't - we'll you are awesome too. And if any of you are worried that you don't have big bucks to donate, that's totally cool. Even $1 is helpful, or even just your well-wishes are very welcome. 

[FEB 23] While I'm begging for money, I might as well also take this opportunity to remind you that the Dreambuilder's Youth Project is still accepting donations to fund the Donna Summer mural they are creating to honor her legacy.  They offer a few perks for various dollar amounts, so be sure to check that out. And keep in mind their deadline for donations if April 4.

[FEB 23] In the Donna is everywhere category, she was the subject of Beauty World News' Throwback Thursday feature. 

[FEB 23] Johnnyswim fans - their appearance on Live From  Daryl's House debuted on Palladia just the other night. It will repeat a few more times before they switch to the next episode, and it will be on the show's website starting March 15.  And don't forget to check out Johnnyswim's tour page - they have a ton of dates coming up all over the place and you WILL hate yourself if you miss out.  ;-)

[FEB 23] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is an old video from Stampyurfeet that combines footage of Barbra Streisand's Kennedy Center Honors with Donna's vocals. I have to say it's kind of funny to see Barbra's mouth move on Papa Can You Hear Me while you hear Donna's voice singing.  Then there is a video that starts with some other divas singing Last Dance, and then ends with a separate clip of Donna singing it herself. (You will have NO DOUBTS as to who the real diva is!  LOL) Then we have a cool video for the MAW mix of Last Dance that combines footage from several different things, Hot Stuff live on the Dinah Shore Show,  and Donna's awesome cover of Nights In White Satin.

[FEB 18] It has come to my attention that I messed up my MS Walk link. Apparently I stick in a link for She Works Hard For The Money instead.  Oops.  LOL  This is the right one. 

[FEB 17] Sorry - I was tired last night, so my update is a little late.  First up today... the new video by Stor Dubine.  :-)  It's his vision of the Laidback Luke mix of MacArthur Park.  (And yes there is a cake, and rain - but the cake isn't actually out in the rain.  LOL) 

[FEB 17]  Last week I mentioned the Dreambuilder's Youth Project at Donna's old high school. They are  creating a mural to honor Donna's legacy, and now they have a way for people to contribute to the project. They have a fundraising page - it's kind of like Kickstarter only this is hosted by another company. If you would like to contribute, there are 47 more days left to do so.

[FEB 17] In release news, remember that Casablanca box set? Well the Dutch retailer I mentioned last time still has a release date of February 7, but apparently they were counting on building a time machine because the real release date is now September 27. LOL  I guess we can wait - it's not like that's a new concept to us.  ;-)

[FEB 17]  The Advocate has an article about what happens when the gay community feels betrayed by someone they've made an icon. Unfortunately Donna is in there because she was accused of making  certain statements, but thankfully the article does say she denied making comments. And really the thrust of the article is not so much about what various divas did or didn't do, but how the gay community reacted to whatever was done/said/accused/whatever. And Donna is only one of several divas they talked about.  (By the way, I am aware of recent online "celebs you didn't know were homophobes" articles. I don't generally comment on them because I don't want to give any more page views to their garbage, but anyone looking to respond to one of those articles may find ammunition here and here.)

[FEB 17] OfficialCharts.com has picked This Time I Know It's For Real as their Pop Gem for Valentine's Day.

[FEB 17] Bruce Sudano fans - don't miss his interview with Dave Marsh posted here on Soundcloud. It's a pretty extensive one focused mainly on With Angels On A Carousel.

[FEB 17] Johnnyswim fans - catch them on Palladia this Thursday night at 11 for  Live From Daryl's House.  If you miss it (shame on you!)  it usually repeats a few times AND they post the shows online. Also check out their tour page - more dates have been added.  :-)

[FEB 17] I think that brings us to YouTube. Look for the Work That Magic video, the Romeo video (Donna's not in that one, it's just movie clips), Last Dance from the Midnight Special, She Works Hard For The Money from a TV appearance, and Donna with Joss Stone on Try A Little Tenderness.

[FEB 9] Greetings all! Let's start with a special upcoming valentine from our own Stor Dubine.  If the name doesn't sing a bell, let me remind you that he is the guy who makes cool animated videos like this one for I Got Your Love.   Well on February 14 (Velentine's Day  :-) )  he will be releasing his latest video through the fan club site. It will be a video for the Laidback Luke mix of MacArthur Park.  Personally, I cannot wait! I love his videos!  :-)

[FEB 9] There is a program called the Dreambuilders Youth Project operating out of the Jeremiah E Burke High School in Boston.  (If that school sounds familiar, it's because that's where Donna attended school.) Basically, it's an after school program designed to help give kids the inspiration  and encouragement they need to succeed in their chosen fields of interest. The project they will be working on is a mural to honor the legacy of Donna Summer.  You can watch their PSA here, or follow their Facebook page to keep up with announcements on how you can help support the mural project. 

[FEB 9] NME.com has published their 500 best songs of all time. I Feel Love comes in at #3!!  :-) (Personally I would have put it up higher, but they didn't ask my opinion.  LOL)

[FEB 9] Bruce Sudano fans - keep an eye out for his upcoming video, The Neighborhood Of My Dreams. He has promised on Facebook that it's coming "soon". (And it can't be too soon for me - that's one of my favorite tracks off the album!)

[FEB 9] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week we have Dim All The Lights live (preceded by a short interview), a 2003 interview, a recent Giorgio Moroder interview, MacArthur Park live,  and She Works Hard For The Money at Disney.

[FEB 9] And finally, as many of you know I have done the local MS Walk for the last couple of years. I will be doing it again this year and as I did last year (and as I have been doing  with all my charitable endeavors since 2012), I do it in Donna's memory to celebrate her humanitarian legacy.  This year the walk takes place at Jones Beach again (last year it was too wrecked by Superstorm Sandy for it to be ready in time.) And this year by pure coincidence, it takes place on a very special day: May 17.  If you would like to contribute, here is the link. There is no pressure.... but if I hit my $500 goal, then I will once again ditch my team t-shirt and instead dress in my Donna gear.  :-)  My team captain was totally cool with that last year.  (Please help me wear my Donna gear - I hate wearing the color orange!  LOL)

[FEB 5] Mary Bernard fans - go see "The Real Diva" (sorry Donna  LOL) sing in Delray Beach Florida at the Garlic Festival this Sunday February 9.  Mary will be there all day and she's even gonna hit the stage with Andy Child for a couple of songs. She very specifically said that she would LOVE to see everyone, so if you are in that area (or will be) go catch her performance, and then go say hi. (I promise - she doesn't bite!  Well....  maybe if you asked her really nicely to, she might...   LOL)

[FEB 2] Happy Groundhog's Day! That darn groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter, so I might be eating groundhog stew for dinner this week.  ;-)  Fortunately in here it's always SUMMER.  And that brings me to the Summer Fever Pick for the month. If you've been keeping track, we are now up to Mistaken Identity by some blonde chick.  :-)

[FEB 2] Some of you may remember a couple of months ago that  a  an 8 CD Donna Summer Casablanca box set was announced for European release. That should be released Friday February 7 according to this Dutch retailer. There is still no definitive word about this collection - other than it seems to be 8 CDs in a cute box. They haven't said if there is any new remastering, or if all the original art is included or anything. I suspect we won't know much more until one of us grabs a copy.

[FEB 2] 2 of the stars of the Broadway musical Kinky Boots were asked by Playbill to pick their favorite disco songs. Can you guess which artist made the list 5 times? (Hint: She is blonde in this month's Summer Fever Pick.  LOL) 

[FEB 2] Johnnyswim fans - mark your calendars for April 29. That is Abner's birthday and I strongly suspect he would just love it if you would celebrate by grabbing a copy of Johnyswim's first full length album - coming out April 29. Woot!!

[FEB 2] And that brings us to YouTube.  First up is a commercial for Live & More that will make you yearn to have the whole concert on DVD. Then there is the There Goes My Baby video,  Forgive Me live from a telethon, and an AMAZING playlist from the 2008 tour that kicks off with Be Myself Again.

[JAN 26]  Happy Grammy night everyone!  Let's start off tonight with some museum news.  Over at the MIM Museum in Phoenix AZ, there is an exhibit called Women Who Rock.  Donna is represented with her black velvet dress with the silver studs.  You might know it from the 12" single artwork for Work That Magic.  That exhibit runs until April 20. Then over in Fairfield CT,  the Fairfield Museum is running an exhibit called Fairfield's Rockin' Top Ten. That also includes some Donna and it will run until April 28.  Gotta love it!  :-)

[JAN 26] In release news, the company Culture Factory will be reissuing She Works Hard For The Money and I Remember Yesterday. These will be "vinyl replica" cds that include cardboard sleeves with the original art.  I am told that they do a beautiful job. Currently they have the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack available, along with a number of other releases by various artists including Diana Ross. (So some of you may already be acquainted with Culture Factory's work.)  I imagine that if the Donna cds do well, they will look into releasing other albums as well. 

[JAN 26] In sad news, attorney Donald Engel has passed away. Some of you may remember him from Donna's book as the attorney who helped Donna get out of her contract with Casablanca/Polygram when she made the move to Geffen.

[JAN 26] Johnnyswim fans - they just announced some more tour dates. They have  joined the Communion USA tour which is a multi-artist tour designed to give up and coming artists more exposure. For tickets and dates, go to communionmusic.com. (Be sure to click on the Club Nights Series and then February.) I know Johnnyswim have also been hard at work on their upcoming CD, so we should be hearing more about that soon.  :-)  

[JAN 26] That brings us to YouTube.  First up is MacArthur Park live, then we have Hot Stuff live, a commercial for Africola from the Germany days, a remix of That's The Way It Is, Last Dance from one of the VH1 specials, and Unbreak My Heart from the David Foster & Friends concert (because I can't get enough of that one.  LOL)

[JAN 19] Greetings all!  :-)  Let's go right to the charts. Unfortunately the news from Billboard is not good. MacArthur Park has slipped off the Dance Club Play chart. I guess nothing can stay there forever.  It looks like it's off the Brazilian charts too.  :-( I guess that means we need a new single - Verve, are you listening?

[JAN 19] The Diva Devotee Blog has an interesting piece on Donna's vocal range. It explains in technical terms what we already know - the woman could SING!  :-)

[JAN 19] In remix news, JCRZ has remixed The Hostage of all things. It's pretty interesting, but definitely not one of the songs you expect remixers to tackle.  :-)

[JAN 19] Johnnyswim fans - look for them to perform at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on January 31, and the New Orleans Jazz Festival on May 1. If you can make the New Oreans Festival, try to go several nights because in addition to Johnnyswim, there are a few other lesser knows acts like Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Eric Clapton...   :-)

[JAN 19] That brings us to YouTube. We have MacArthur Park live, Someone To Watch Over Me from Live & More Encore, Sunset People and Bad Girls from the 1980 TV Special, the Jacques Greene mix of On The Radio, Last Dance live in Japan 1987, and Dinner With Gershwin from the same Japanese concert.

[JAN 12] Happy Golden Globes night everyone! Let's start off with a new Ken's Korner about the remixes. :-) And after you read that and the news, look at this week's YouTube links below. There is something really special this time.  :-)

[JAN 12] On to the charts. On the Billboard Dance Club Play chart, MacArthur Park holds at #14. In Brazil - we'' they are still stuck on the January 4 chart, so we don't know how high she's climbed past #7 yet. 

[JAN 12] SoulTrain.com has a nice new article about Donna.

[JAN 12] I mentioned previously that Aretha Franklin is planning to cover Last Dance on an upcoming album. It's going to be an album of covers, and I just found out that she wants to cover Barbra's People too.  I have to say that I don't think I have ever had such mixed feelings about an album before. I am intrigued because it's Aretha and we all know she CAN sing.  :-) But on the other hand, I can't help but wonder if even she can pull it off.... those songs are so firmly associated with the original singers that it may be almost impossible to get listeners to accept a cover. I really can't wait to see what comes out of this project.

[JAN 12] There was a request on the forums for the Harold Faltermeyer interview, so I took out my trusty camera and photographed the magazine pages for that. And while I was at it, I photographed a few other things I found while digging up the Faltermeyer interview. I've tossed those all up on my Flickr account. Not all the pages show up on the Flickr stream in the correct order, but if you follow the file names, you should be fine.

[JAN 12] Bruce Sudano fans - go catch him Friday January 17 at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles. You will be sorry if you don't. 

[JAN 12] Johnnyswim fans - did you like the Heart Beats video? They are promising a remix video - but there is a catch. First the original Heart Beats video needs to hit 425k views.  It's at about 406k as I write this - so we're not too far away.  So go watch a few more times to raise that view count.  (And then tell your friends to watch.)  :-)

[JAN 12] And that brings us to YouTube, and the special video I promised.  Nathan DiGesare has posted a little clip of Donna singing a bit of La Dolce Vida live on an airplane.  It is a rare behind the scenes glimpse of Donna, and everyone who has seen it so far is in love with this clip.  Everything after that is going to seem anticlimactic, but I'll give you a few more links anyway. There is Dinner With Gershwin from a TV appearance, then we have a medley from 1987, and a performance of All Systems Go.  Then if you are in the mood for something a little ummm... different... we have a gentleman analyzing Donna's transitional numbers.  (It's a numerology thing based on Donna's death date. More power to you if you can get through the whole thing. All the numbers made my head hurt.  LOL)

[JAN 5] Happy 2014 - I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!  :-) Let's start off with a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are up to Another Place And Time.

[JAN 5] Ok, in chart news this week, MacArthur Park slips another couple of spots to #14 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.  I don't have an update for the Brazilian Dance chart yet. They may have taken a break for the New Year because they have the same chart posted as last week.

[JAN 5] As most of you probably know, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve has been a tradition for the last few decades. The tradition continues even though Dick Clark is no longer with us, and this year they did a countdown of the Top Divas in the show's history. Donna came in at #16 and when they got to her, host Ryan Seacrest mentioned Donna's guest host stint on American Bandstand. 

[JAN 5] As you know, the Fan Club launched a web store last year. (Gee, that sounds so long ago when I say it like that!  LOL)  Anyway, Tom is looking to expand the merchandise selection and to do that he needs your help. So he's holding a contest where fans can submit their designs for a t-shirt logo to be used on future merchandise.  Now there are some simple rules about copyright that you need to read before you start designing, so read those carefully before you get started.   :-)  I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

[JAN 5] Attention internet voters: Pop-Icons.net is holding a poll to determine the favorite female pop icon. The poll is set to close on January 8, so try to vote if you can. (I say "if you can" because when I went there just now, the site was down. I think they used up their bandwidth.)

[JAN 5] As you know, December 31 was Donna's birthday, and it's nice to see that even though she's not here to celebrate it, the media have not forgotten her.  In honor of her birthday, TheBacklot.com posted Donna's 20 Greatest Songs, dw.de wrote a nice retrospective article, and BET.com posted a short article on Donna's career.

[JAN 5] Giorgio Moroder fans, there are 2 new interview with him. One is on NPR.org, and the other is on MixMag.net.  Donna gets a brief mention in each. 

[JAN 5] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Donna's 2004 appearance on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, a 1976 clip of Lady Of The Night,  Supernatural Love from France, JCRZ,s filtered dub mix of La Dolce Vita set to Patrice's slideshow, and just for something different: the Belgrade Philharmonic playing Hot Stuff.

2013

[DEC 29] Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the holidays.  :-)  Since I won't see you again until next weekend, let me wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe New Year!  And when you are out partying this New Year's Eve, don't forget to have a toast in honor of Donna's birthday.  :-)

[DEC 29] First up this week - a small correction. Last week I said Love To Love You Is on the American Hustle soundtrack. I meant to say I Feel Love is on the soundtrack - but having watched the trippy new Love To Love You video a few times, I think I had that title stuck in my brain.  LOL (You know, now that I think of it - we could use a trippy new I Feel Love video too. Who do we have to bribe?  LOL)

[DEC 29] Germany: VOX is repeating 100 Songs, die die Welt bewegten on Donna's birthday. Look for the part with Donna at 15:05 German time. 

[DEC 29] In chart news this week, sadly MacArthur Park has relinquished the top spot and slid to number 12 on the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart for January 4. Sigh. But the news is better in Brazil where the song climbs to #7 on the Top 30 Dance chart.

[DEC 29] Let's move on to release news. You guys know Big Break Records, right? (They keep releasing awesome remasters of classic dance albums. If you don't know Big Break and you are a classic dance fan, RUN to their website now!) Well, they've gotten their hot little hands on the soundtrack to The Deep, and they plan to issue their remastered version of that this coming February. I've heard there are rumors they are trying to get their hands on some other Donna stuff. All I can say is, if they do get their hands on more Donna stuff, they WILL run with it! I have no doubt!

[DEC 29] Dunia Magazine has posted a list of 25 must hear Donna songs - and not all of them are the usual suspects.  :-)  I imagine that's because the article is written by an actual fan.  :-) 

[DEC 29] In remix news, look for the Pied Piper Regroove mix of I Feel Love using some of the new vocals recorded for a Gucci commercial.

[DEC 29] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up, a 2008 interview promoting Crayons. (Was that really 5 years ago?) Then there is an energetic performance of Romeo, a 1994 promo interview for Melody Of Love, a 1984 medley of Christmas songs, I Remember Yesterday live in 1977, and finally a TV commercial for Another Place And Time. 

[DEC 29] And finally - Happy Birthday Donna, where ever you are!  (I'm pretty sure birthday cake in heaven has no calories, so have a couple of pieces for me too. ;-) ) On a side note - I've had the Kennedy Center Honors on while I've been writing the update. I keep thinking how good Donna would have looked in one of those ribbons.  

[DEC 22] Well since this is the last update before Christmas, I will take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas - or a Happy Wednesday if Christmas isn't your thing.  And in case you didn't notice, I posted a little Christmas picture for you above.  Feel free to steal it for Facebook or wherever if you want.  :-)

[DEC 22] As you know, MacArthur Park is #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart. That earned Donna a nice mention in the ChartBeat column. (But I still haven't found out if anyone else has topped the chart with the same song after so long a gap. My guess is that 35 years has to be some sort of record.)

[DEC 22] For those who missed it, Bruce was on Entertainment Tonight this week talking about Love To Love You Donna. You can catch it on their website still.

[DEC 22] Remember a couple of weeks ago we had a promo clip for Love To Love You? Well, the whole video is out now. Spin posted it on their website. It's very trippy!

[DEC 22] In the Donna is everywhere category - the movie American Hustle uses Love To Love You in the soundtrack.

[DEC 22] And in cover news, Aretha Franklin is working on an album of classic covers. She says, "They're records that, musically, I respected and that I liked a lot and that I would love to have one go-'round with..." Last Dance is one of the songs on the list, and hopefully we well see the album in the second quarter of 2014.

[DEC 22] I think that brings us to YouTube. Festivaldevinachile has posted a whole bunch of live clips from 1994. (They look like they came off of an excellent quality TV broadcast.) Then there is Donna's appearance on Tavis Smiley.  And then for the holidays there is Carlybabe's Donna & Friends Come Home To A Widescreen Rosie Christmas, Stampyurfeet's video for I'll Be Home For Christmas, Patrice's video for the Christmas Medley, the Christmas Song live, and of course O Holy Night. And finally for Bruce (if you are reading this), Patrice's video for Take Heart.  Keep watching for those rainbows my friend.

[DEC 22] And finally - if you are out partying this holiday season, #1 play LOTS of Christmas Spirit! and #2 - don't drink and drive. 

[DEC 15] Happy Sunday everyone. It's just 10 days until Christmas, so I hope you all have your copies of Christmas Spirit by now. (And I don't care if Christmas isn't your holiday - get the album anyway!  LOL)

[DEC 15] So last week I had some chart numbers for you, and I mentioned that MacArthur Park would be #2 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart for December 27. That was a slight typo - it's actually #2 for the week of December 21.  And as it happens, we have the chart position for December 28 (the closest chart to Donna's birthday by the way.) Let's see if you can guess what number it is?  Did I hear you all screaming ONE really loudly? Well, if you did, you are right. Once again Donna tops the Billboard Dance Charts!  You just can't keep a good diva down!  :-) 

[DEC 15] And while we are talking charts, MacArthur Park entered the Brazilian Top 30 charts at #26 last week and then decided to jump up to #12 this week. I think it's heading for the top over there too.  :-)

[DEC 15] So how should we celebrate all this excellent chart news? Well, we could celebrate with the ROSABEL MacArthur Park mixes that will hit iTunes this Tuesday (December 17.)   :-)  

[DEC 15] A recent episode of the ABC TV show Nashville has caused a little discussion on the forums because it looks like there could be a Donna painting in the background of one scene. The episode in question is "Tomorrow Never Comes" and if you look at the online stream at about the 28 minute mark there is a scene set in a dressing room or green room, and if you look behind the guy (or in the mirror behind the girl) you can see a painting that looks like it could be in Donna's style. (It's a little blurry though.)  Check it out and see what you think.

[DEC 15] Soundcloud users, there is a  Brian Reyes mix of Whenever There Is Love available for your dancing pleasure. (There is some really cool artwork posted there to go with it.) 

[DEC 15] And now for some Mimi Dohler news (although you remember her as Mimi Sommer.) Wait, what? Mimi news?  Do I have the right daughter? Why actually - yes I do! Mimi has written and recorded a new song to honor the legacy of Mia Sutphin, a friend of the family who passed away while working with HIV-infected kids at an orphanage in Kenya.  Mia's family set up a foundation to continue her work with children, and  purchases of Mimi's recording of Mia's Song will benefit the Mia Sutphin Foundation. It's available on Esty.com for $1.99 and it's a really beautiful track. 

[DEC 15] That brings us to the web. First up is a cool fan video for the Laidback Luke MacArthur Park mix. Then there is a tribute video by our friend Suecase Hall  called Remember Me. Yes, it's a Diana Ross song but it does fit wonderfully, and as a bonus it will confuse the heck out of casual fans.  LOL Then we have the famous version of O Holy Night from Solid Gold. (Was anyone NOT blown away when it originally aired?)  Then we have the audio only for When The Dream Never Dies, from the Christmas musical Child Of The Promise, and finally a fan made video for Christmas Spirit.  (Did you buy the album yet? If not, you better - or else I'll play Shout It Out for you 100 times in a row! Ha! That'll teach you!  ;-) )

[DEC 8] Greetings from snowy Long Island. Let's jump right into the charts.  :-)  On the current chart (December 14) MacArthur Park is #7 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Look for it to be #2 on the December 27 chart.  :-)

[DEC 8] Look for the Rosabel MacArthur Park remixes to hit iTunes on December 17. We'll be dancing the holidays away!  :-)

[DEC 8] If you are looking to get one of Donna's lithos, there are still a few (a very FEW) left. Tom posted a list on the fan club site with the number left and the prices. 

[DEC 8] Here's a cool little video for you. It was commissioned by Verve to promote the Love To Love You Donna album. I just wish it was longer!

[DEC 8] Bruce Sudano fans - he's made a video for his new song Things Are Changing (from With Angels On A Carousel.)

[DEC 8] Johnnyswim fans: If you are in Nashville, catch their free show Wednesday December 11 at Houston Station. The show is free, but you do need to "buy" tickets to reserve your spot.  Details are here. 

[DEC 8] And if you need a little more Johnnyswim, check out this nice little article on standard.net. 

[DEC 8] And now for some sad news. Many of you are familiar with the fan mixes made by Phil Hall better known as Klyk The Mixer. It has come to my attention that he passed away yesterday. My condolences go out to all his family and friends who loved him. He will be missed. You can check out his SoundCloud page here.

[DEC 8] In honor of the late great Klyk (who I really hope is in the front row at a heavenly Donna concert right now), this week's YouTube links will all be his mixes. There is his Full On Instrumental mix of Be Myself Again, the Full On vocal Remix of Be Myself Again, his Opera Mix of I'm A Fire, his Speedo mix of Breakaway, his Smooth Mix of Tokyo, and his Extended Dance Mix of I Got Your Love.  There are plenty more from over the years if you nose around YouTube a little more, but these will get you started. And I have to say his Be Myself Again mixes are AMAZING. When he first shared them, I admit I was a little leery about making that one into a dance track. But Klyk made it work.  :-) 

[DEC 1] Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. And Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends! (I guess this year's celebrations include 8 days of Thanksgiving leftovers?  LOL)  It's a new month again, so that makes it time for a new Summer Fever Pick. Being December, you know that means that Christmas Spirit  is in the spotlight again. Why? Because it's the best Christmas album ever - so BUY IT if you haven't already.  (I see my regulars rolling their eyes out there.... "Oh God, Cathy is at it again!"  LOL)

[DEC 1] Let's start off with some chart news. MacArthur Park moves up to #12 on the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart with no sign of slowing down.  Maybe Santa will bring us a #1 for Christmas this year? I have all my fingers crossed!

[DEC 1]  I know we have a few Barbra Streisand fans out there. Well, she did a concert in Brooklyn that was filmed for PBS and is currently running (in NY at least) as part of the Great Performances series. In it she says some nice things about Donna before doing her solo take on Enough Is Enough.  You can check out the set list and a couple of clips (but not the Enough Is Enough clip) on PBS.org.  Now if you can't catch it on PBS, you can also get the CD/DVD set at Amazon (or Amazon UK). Enough Is Enough is only on the DVD part of that set, so don't be put off that it's not on the tracklist. 

[DEC 1] In the Donna's music  is everywhere category, the trailer for American Hustle uses I Feel Love. 

[DEC 1] And in strange news,  somebody made a holiday wreath out of a Donna record. I would normally be upset at the waste of a good LP,  but they used a badly scratched album.

[DEC 1] Bruce Sudano fans, he premiered a new song at his recent show at Genghis Cohen. It's called Gentle Girl and he posted it  (along with the story behind the song) on SoundCloud. Check it out, it's a good one.  :-)

[DEC 1] I think that brings us to YouTube. Look for Philippe's video for the AfroJack mix of I Feel Love, and his video for I Don't Wanna Get Hurt.  Then check out Let It Be live on a UK TV show, On The Radio from Live & More Encore, She Works Hard For The Money from Disco Inferno, Paul Shaffer remembering Donna, and just in time for the holidays, Patrice's video for Lamb Of God. 

[NOV 24] Happy Sunday everyone! Let's start off with some fan club news. As you know, Tom started selling t-shirts and things on the site, and now he has an interesting idea for the holiday season. He's going to donate all the profits from the sales from now to January 1 to a charity picked by the fans.  Head over to their Facebook page to suggest a charity. (Don't forget to tell them why you like the charity!)  Oh, and while you are there, don't forget to click the like button.  (I KNOW there are more than 680 of us on Facebook!)

[NOV 24] And while we are on the subject of the fan club, Tom has compiled a list of what's left of Donna's lithos. (Sigh...) If you are looking to buy, contact Tom because the fan club has some special pricing available. 

[NOV 24] Ok, time to hit the charts. MacArthur Park is up 10 spots to #22 in the Billboard Dance Club Play Charts. (They ought to just rename it the Donna Summer Chart - she owned it in life and now she owns it in the afterlife!  You can't keep a great diva down!  :-) )

[NOV 24] Bruce Sudano was interviewed on the Marc & Myra Show on SiriusXm's Studio 54 channel last week. He talked about his CD With Angels On A Carousel and about Love To Love You Donna. 

[NOV 24] Johnnyswim fans - did you catch them on VH1 last week in the You Oughta Know concert? Well, if you somehow missed it, or if you just want to see it again, go to VH1.com to see clips from the show.  The Johnnyswim clips start on page 5 - do not miss Diamonds!

[NOV 24] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week brings Hot Stuff from the AMA's, Hot Stuff from another TV appearance, the State Of Independence video, The Wanderer video, and the Sound Factory mix of Love Is The Healer.

[NOV 24] I'll be back next weekend, but in the meantime Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends (and to any of my international friends who want to blow off work Thursday and stuff themselves with food. The more the merrier!  :-) )

[NOV 17] Let's start off with some chart news. On the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart, MacArthur Park moves up to #32.   :-)

[NOV 17] And speaking of MacArthur Park, there are at least 4 Ralph Rosario mixes out there. No word on if they will ever be released commercially, but my guess is you will hear them out in clubs. So if you are out partying, keep those ears open!

[NOV 17] And just in case you were wondering about the original version of MacArthur Park, Jimmy Webb talks about the meaning of the lyrics and about the Richard Harris recording in this interview.

[NOV 17] Now how about a little I Feel Love? (I'll wait while you do your robot dance.  LOL)  In this short article, Giorgio Moroder talks about I Feel Love being inspired by Star Wars.  (Dance with me Obi Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope...  okay, I'll take off my geek hat for now.  ;-) )

[NOV 17]  With the holidays upon us, now it the time to start shopping for your favorite Donna fan - or even for yourself.  :-) And just in time for the shopping season, Tom at the fan club has opened up an online store with shirts and hoodies with the famous fan club drawing/cartoon of Donna. And then of course you have Donna's official store (linked through her site and the fan club site) where you can buy Love To Love You Donna in vinyl or as a bundle with vinyl, cd and a poster.  Maybe I'm a bit old school, but that cover art is FABULOUS on a nice large LP cover! 

[NOV 17] Moving on to magazines, I was sent scans of a couple of German magazines for you to view.  I have the pages all available for you as jpg images, co click on each link below to see the page you want.

Hinnerk Magazin (October 2013)
Good Times (October/November 2013 page 1
Good Times (October/November 2013 page 2
Good Times (October/November 2013 page 3
Good Times (October/November 2013 page 4
Good Times (October/November 2013 Disco Story
Magazin Stern (February 1, 1979)

[NOV 17] Facebookers, Alejandro has posted a couple of new classic things as well. He's go the Superteen Yearbook from 1980, Teen Beats Disco from January 1980,  and Right On from April 1980. 

[NOV 17]  For those of you in the mood for Christmas music, ChristmasMusic.org is online and streaming AND they did play some Donna this morning. (And really, that's the only Christmas music I can deal with this early!  LOL And since I mentioned it, DOnna's Christmas album is still available on Amazon.com.  If you don't have it, you HAVE to get it!  Come on, it's really cheap right now and they will throw in a download copy when you buy the CD. If you only buy one Christmas album ever, this is the one!!)

[NOV 17] Johnnyswim fans - don't forget to tune into VH1 on November 21 at 8 to see them on the You Oughta Know concert. You will hate yourself if you don't!  Just to whet your appetite, check out a snippet of their cover of  Til The World Ends.

[NOV 17] That brings us to YouTube.  This week we have Donna live in Japan (from the 80s). This is the whole show guys!  Then there is Autumn Changes, Could It Be Magic, and MacArthur Park from the Hot Summer Night concert.  On a side note, if you are doing your own YouTube search for recent uploads, watch out for anything by CockRockDisco. That stuff is all DJ Donna Summer aka Jason Forrest, and not our Donna.

[NOV 14] If any of you guys ordered the Donna bundle with the poster from MyPlay Direct, don't freak out when you get the box and the poster isn't there. That ships separately in a tube and will arrive by US Mail.  Mine came a day apart, but your mileage may vary depending on how far you are from the warehouse. (On a side note - the album art is GORGEOUS on a nice big vinyl cover!!)

[NOV 11] Happy Veteran's Day to all the military families out there - be you currently serving, formerly serving or in the reserves and just waiting til you are needed.  :-) Sorry the update is a little late - I had a busy weekend and was too tired to do it yesterday. (Especially since I had to take the early shift at work this morning... who is the evil entity that invented work?  LOL)

[NOV 11] Ok, everybody  take out your copies of Love To Love You Donna and look at the cover. (Or if you  bought the download, look at the cover art in your iPod or whatever.)  Are you looking at it? Well guess what - you are looking at the best album cover for the week of October 22 as selected by the Album Art Exchange Blog. I have to say they have excellent taste.  :-)

[NOV 11] The other night, Dutch TV ran a documentary about Disco magazine. It was a 2 hour event and of course you know Donna was in there.  :-) (In fact she was even in the TV magazine Vara for that week as well.)  You can watch the documentary here, and it doesn't seem to be region restricted. I got it to play here in the US with no problem. Even better (for me anyway) they went with English on the audio track and Dutch subtitles. So I could understand what was being said.  :-)  Now the whole thing is interesting, but if you are short on time and just want to watch Donna, jump to about the 51 minute mark.

[NOV 11] Let's move on to articles. We have a number of websites that have chosen to write about Love To Love You Donna. Here's the list:

Windy City Times
RandomHouse
SCPR.org (especially note the paragraph answering "Did you learn something new about Donna Summer. It is very nice to read!)
Inland Valley News

[NOV 11] Let's move on to the charts.  Love To Love You Donna drops to #8 on the Billboard Dance Album chart for the week of November 16. It seems to have slipped off the other album charts - at least as far as I can tell from the website. (You can only see part of the charts online without a subscription .) MacArthur Park debuts at #39 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart - the highest debut this week. (On a side note of trivia, the MacArthur Park Suite was #1 35 years ago today. 35 years? Who feels old now?)

[NOV 11] You may recall that the Fan Club website was holding a contest for the best objective review of Love To Love You Donna. The winner is none other than our friend Jimmie Lee. Congrats Jimmie Lee!  You can read the review here, and  believe me its worth the read. (It's a little long though, so be careful you don't get caught if you are reading it at work.  LOL) And while we're on the subject of the fan club, it has come to my attention that the Fan Club Facebook page only has 642 likes. That's crazy! I know there are more of us out there - I think some of you just forgot to click "like".  ;-)  Now on the off chance that some of you think that if you like this site, you can't like the fan club, or vice versa - that's just more crazy talk!  I encourage you to like us both because it really is my masterplan to have Donna take over the entire internet!  ;-)   Tom and I are not in any sort of competition.... wait... unless... hmmm...  If competing will somehow get us vaulted tracks quicker, then I will be happy to challenge Tom to a mud wrestling match or something.  (That would be one competition where we'd all end up winners!  LOL)

[NOV 11] While we're on the subject of Facebook, Alejandro has been posting again. This time he's got 16 Magazine's Rockline from 1979, the Disco Handbook from 1979, and the 1979 Year In Music.

[NOV 11] Bruce Sudano fans - go catch him at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles  this Saturday November 16.  And if you go - say hi for me and tell him to come out East again!  :-)

[NOV 11] Johnnyswim fans - catch them on VH1's You Oughta Know concert Thursday November 21 at 9 PM on VH1. It's actually being taped tonight and as I write this, the live concert is streaming on VH1.com. (Their new song Diamonds is a keeper!!) Seriously, if you haven't had a chance to see Johnnyswim live yet, then tune in to the concert (or DVR it or something.)  You will hate yourself if you miss it. Now if you need a little something to tide you over until then - watch them talk about marriage and teamwork on VH1. 

[NOV 11] And moving to the youngest generation, some of you know that Mimi's girls sing. Vienna in particular is pretty active on YouTube, and this summer she and her friend Asa posted a  music video they made for their cover of The Fault Is In Our Stars.  Check it out if you get a chance.

[NOV 11] And that will bring us to YouTube. This week we have On The Radio from the Hot Summer Night special, Patrice has posted several new mixes he made, the official promo video for Last Dance ( with a few bonus seconds of Paul Jabara's Disco Queen at the beginning), and a tiny clip of Giorgio Moroder talking about Love To Love You Baby.

[NOV 3] Where should we start this week?  How about with - Oh my god it's November! Where is this year going??  LOL  So obviously it's time for a new Summer Fever pick. This month it is All Systems Go.

[NOV 3] Moving on to Love To Love You Donna... we have a little chart action happening.  :-)  It debuts at #97 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums, #20 on the Billboard R&B Hip Hop Album Chart, #11 on the Billboard R&B album chart, and #2 on the Billboard Dance Electronic Album chart. (Those are all for the week of November 9, by the way.) I'm actually very surprised and pleased at how well the album is doing.  Always in the past we had Donna out there promoting her stuff - I wasn't sure how well it would go without her.  Now if we move over to the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart (which has always been very good to Donna!)  for the week of November 2, MacArthur Park is the #3 Breakout song.  :-)  The chart action earned Donna a mention in the Chart Moves column on Billboard.biz.

[NOV 3] Bruce Sudano was interviewed by Joonbug.com specifically about the Love To Love You Donna compilation. In it, he addresses a lot of the questions we were all wondering about, like why Working The Midnight Shift is a cover. (And for the record, I think there would have been way less controversy about that song if Verve had just been totally upfront about it being a cover when they released the track. If you expect a cover then you judge it on its own merits. If you expect Donna's voice and you get someone else, then .... well, we all saw what happened. We fans do have a rep for being very vocal.  LOL)

[NOV 3] In original track news, the 1977 I Feel Love has reappeared on various European iTunes R&B charts. I figure this is either because of that 4G commercial I posted last week, because the I Feel Love remixes may have inspired interest in the original, or a combination of the two. The Journey also popped up at #5 in the German iTunes album chart.  That may be due to Donna being featured in a German music documentary called 100 Songs, die die Welt bewegten. If you are in Germany, you may still be able to see it online here. (The rest of us are out of luck - it's region  restricted.)

[NOV 3] If you are in the Phoenix area, check out the Women Who Rock exhibit at the MIM, now through April 20. The exhibit will move to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI from May 15 to August 24. The exhibit covers blues artists of the 20s all the way up to contemporary artists. You can see costumes, albums, instruments, photos, video, etc. You can check out a short video abotu the exhibit here. 

[NOV 3] Giorgio Moroder fans, check out his new interview for the LA Times where he confirms he found lost master tapes in his laundry room. (All I ever find in my laundry room is escaped dryer sheets. Maybe I need to move?)

[NOV 3] In the land of video, let me start off with one on Facebook. It's almost a minute of Donna performing Last Dance at David Foster's wedding on November 11, 2011. Sigh. On YouTube look for She Works Hard For The Money from a TV appearance, Dinner With Gershwin from another TV appearance, a Donna Summer megamix from Looking Back, MacArthur Park from Night Of The Proms, a 1987 live clip of She Works Hard For The Money, and finally O Come All Ye Faithful from Solid Gold.

[OCT 27]  Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all grabbed your copies of Love To Love You Donna and/or the iTunes deluxe version  :-) I know we heard most of the mixes individually in the weeks leading up the the release, but there is something about playing them all together that makes it more fun. I know you are all wondering how well the album has done so far. Well over on iTunes, it's currently at #4 on the dance album chart and #128 in the all categories chart.  On release day it hit as high as #2 and #49. Over on Amazon it's sitting at #6 on the dance chart, but it was as high as #1. I don't know if this will translate into any action on the Billboard charts - I'm HOPING we can score a little action on the Club Play charts. (So if you are going out clubbing - get those DJs to play some Donna!!!) 

[OCT 27] Now if you guys want a little something more than a CD for Love To Love You Donna, MyPlayDirect has  a vinyl set (that includes a digital download version too) AND another set with the vinyl, a CD, the digital download, and a really funky poster. (If you have kids and opt to get the vinyl release - you can have extra fun watching the kids try to figure out how to stick a record in a CD player.  LOL)

[OCT 27] And finally in Love To Love You Donna news, a few places have reviewed the album. There is Rolling Stone, Slant, Newsday,  DoAndroidsDance.com, and of course the Boston Globe.

[OCT 27] For those of you who can't get enough Donna (which is all of you I assume...  ;-) )  Christian John Wikane has written a wonderful companion piece for Love To Love You Donna on Pop Matters. Part 1 can be found here, and part 2 is here. These are very long and very interesting articles, so make sure you have time to fully enjoy them. (In other words, sneak reading them at work probably won't go very well for you.  LOL)   

[OCT 27] Any writers out there? Tom is holding a contest over at the fan club site for the best OBJECTIVE review of Love To Love You Donna. (In other words, it has to sound like something you could read in a magazine and not just the crazy ramblings of a diehard fan.  ;-) ) The winner gets their review published on the fan club site and social media, the review will be sent to Verve, and you will snag a couple of 12" promos of Love Is The Healer that Tom happened to run across somewhere. Now I have seen the stuff you guys post on Amazon and iTunes, so I know you guys are gonna make Tom WORK to pick a winner.  :-)  He's announcing a winner on November 29 so get writing!

[OCT 27] There is a cute ad running in the UK for 4G service. See if you recognize the song.  :-)

[OCT 27] Bruce Sudano fans -  he and the Candyman Band will be playing Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles on November 16.  Be there!  :-)

[OCT 27] And on the East Coast, look for Johnnyswim at a VH1 You Oughta Know concert on November 11. For free tickets, go to the event page on Facebook and respond with "RSVP Johnnyswim".

[OCT 27] That brings us to the videos for the week. Recently in Holland a show called the Night Of The Pop Music aired and showed some 2008 footage from an unseen Donna interview.  There is a clip online of Donna talking about her early success in Holland. (You might have to be a little patient with this clip - I had a heck of a time getting it to load, but I can't tell if the problem was on my end ot theirs.)  Then on YouTube we have a You Are So Beautiful (On The Radio) 2013 tribute to Donna from the YouTuber currently known as Suecase Hall.  Also check out the interview with Paula Yates, a tribute to Donna from Teatro Nacional 2013, Donna doing Loving You with Raffaella Carra, I Don't Wanna Get Hurt from TOTP, and a slide show set to Giorgio's remix of Love To Love You. 

[OCT 20] Just 2 more days until the official release of Love To Love You Donna and the iTunes deluxe version.  Oh, that is unless you are in Australia. If you live there, your release date on iTunes was October 18 - so go grab your copy now!  Now if you need just a little taste to tide you over until Tuesday, well just play La Dolce Vita.  This is the same song Nathan Digesare played in an interview segment shortly after Donna passed away. You don't have to listen too hard to figure out what Giorgio Moroder added when he remixed it. And then check out the Laid Back Luke mix of MacArthur Park. 

[OCT 20] For those of you looking to go all old school and actually go to a store to pick up the album, I understand that Walmart and Best Buy should probably have it. And if you want to go really old school, Amazon and Best Buy will have a vinyl version starting October 29. (I don't know of Best Buy will have the vinyl in the store or if that will be online only.) 

[OCT 20] I suspect we may see more of these next week, but  Renowned For Sound has reviewed Love To Love You Donna. So has a blog called The Line Of Best Fit. 

[OCT 20] Some of you may recall that the Fan Club threw a release party last week. (Many of you may have actually been there too - if not physically, then in spirit.  :-) )  Tom has posted some pictures from the event on the Fan Club website. 

[OCT 20]  In remix news, there are apparently several Laidback Luke mixes of MacArthur Park.  (I guess that's not too surprising - DJs usually have a couple of variations.) According to Dirrtyremixes.com there  are  the Laidback Luke Vocal Album version, the DJ version mix, the Vocal Dub, and the Vocal Instrumental. 

[OCT 20] Of you are in Bermuda (or will be) there is a tribute concert on November 2 at the Ruth Seaton Center. Three singers will be paying tribute to the music of Donna, Whitney Houston and Teena Marie.  

[OCT 20] Now for something completely bizarre... UsVsTh3m.com has posted what they call Donna Summer's Disco Sausage Quiz.  Try taking the quiz - I guarantee you will walk away saying "What the heck WAS that?"  LOL

[OCT 20] Facebook users: Alejandro has posted a few more things this week. There is Story from 1979, Rocky from 1979, and Muziek Expres from 1979. 

[OCT 20] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week we have an audio only clip for the La Vie En Rose US Radio Mix. (This is the 1993 recording and not a mix of the live version from the last tours.) Then we have MacArthur Park live from Night Of The Proms, a Patrice video/slideshow for On The Radio, an instrumental version of Carry On, and a classic video for Could It Be Magic. 

[OCT 13] Let's start with some release news.  :-) iTunes now lists a deluxe version of Love To Love You Donna with a total of 17 tracks.  The extra tracks are Our Love Krystal Klear mix (which was always on the iTunes list, but not on the other vendors' lists), MacArthur Park Laid Back Luke vocal mix, Bad Girls Boys Noize Club mix, and Sunset People Hot Chip re-edit. All can be previewed on iTunes. 

[OCT 13] And speaking of Love To Love You Donna, one more mix has surfaced - the Laid Back Luke vocal mix of MacArthur Park. 

[OCT 13] Fans in the North Carolina area may be interested in The Flat Rock Playhouse's Music On The Rock series.  Starting October 16 they are doing Donna Summer and The Sounds Of The 70s. The songs will be performed by Reva Rice. The show only  runs a couple of weeks, so if you want to see it, get tickets now.

[OCT 13] Awhile ago I mentioned that the American Cancer Society is using Donna in one of their ads.  The ad appears in the latest issue of Essence. You can also see it here. 

[OCT 13] Facebook users, Alejandro is at it again. Look for Muziek Expres from December 1977 (OMG the sunglasses in one picture are too much!  LOL),  then there is Rocky from June 1978,  Veronica from 1978, and Notitas Musicales from 1978.

[OCT 13] Bruce Sudano and/or Giorgio Moroder fans - you can catch a little piece of their collaboration for the Station To Station event on Vimeo. The video is a collection of clips from the whole Winslow happening. The guys appear at about 3:30 if you are in the mood to skip ahead. (I wish they had a longer clip!)

[OCT 13] And that will bring us to YouTube. This week we have a 1981 Midnight Special interview that proves (of there was ever any doubt) that Donna was human  LOL, then there are clips from the Enough Is Enough recording sessions here,  here and here.  Sadly none of them have the infamous "beat him up with a stick" outtake. We also have Donna's cover of Superstar (not the one with Richard Carpenter - this was recorded at a later show), Last Dance from the Midnight Special, the medley video from the Endless Summer compilation, and Could It Be Magic from The Box. 

[OCT 6] Let's start off with a couple of reminders. First, the fan club is having release party on October 12  in Michigan. Then in New York we have Dance Ritual Presents: Flashback with Louie Vega  celebrating the release of Love To Love You Donna on October 13 from 7 PM to  1 AM at Santos Party House. For those who can't do either show, there will be release parties in all of our homes on October 22 as we receive our CDs or downloads.  :-)  And of course there will be endless debates on the forums about which mix is best. Some of it might even be civilized.  ;-)

[OCT 6] And speaking of mixes, the I Feel Love Benga mix is posted on Complex.com.  This one is another dub.

[OCT 6] In the Donna Summer fans are everywhere, it seems the group The Saturdays are fans.  :-) In their song Disco Love they sing "It's never winter when It's Donna Summer all year long." They also start their video with a bit of On The Radio. And apparently they really like On The Radio because they have have recorded it as a b-side for their Living For The Weekend album. 

[OCT 6] Facebook users, Alejandro has been posting stuff again.  :-) He's got a Dutch magazine from 1974, Song Hits from 1976, a 1977 magazine from Mexico, the new I Feel Love CD booklet, and another Dutch magazine from 1977.

[OCT 6] Johnnyswim fans: check out this new interview with them in the Augusta Chronicle.  And if you haven't caught them live yet, well check out their tour page.  This month Amanda and Abner have dates in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Maryland. 

[OCT 6] That brings us to YouTube. First up we have one of Philippe's wonderfully trippy fan videos for the new mix of Love To Love You. Then the YouTuber currently known as Suecase Hall has made a new video for State Of Independence that combines footage from the 1983 Hot Summer Night show, with the official music video and footage of the all-star choir in the studio. As a nice touch, he starts off with quotes from Quincy Jones and Bono about the song. There is also some live concert footage from the news show 20/20. The quality is a bit rough, but since footage from that show is really hard to come by, it's probably the best we'll see. We also have Last Dance from The Midnight Special and the Donna and Kenny Rogers Grammy Medley. And finally, this one isn't a Donna video, but if you have sharp eyes you can spot her in the audience. A few years ago Wynonna and Heart got together for an episode of CMT's Crossroads.  Donna and Bruce were there in the audience and you can spot them briefly in the video for No One Else On Earth. And just in case you are afraid your eyes are deceiving you, well here's a clip from a different part of the show where you can't possibly miss Donna. There are other clips from the show on YouTube, but I don't know if Donna can be spotted in any of them. 

[OCT 1] It's a new month, so that means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month it's Cats Without Claws. 

[OCT 1] And while we are here, Elle.com has the new Bad Girls mix for your listening or dancing  pleasure.

[SEP 29] If you missed the midweek updates, better scroll down and get caught up.  :-)

[SEP 29] I have a brand new Ken's Korner for you this week. This time he takes a fresh look at the Donna Summer album.

[SEP 29] Speaking of the Donna Summer album, there is a track on it called Livin' In America which Donna got to perform  at President Reagan's 1985 inauguration. If you check out Reagan's Presidential Library archives, you can see a photo of Donna performing.

[SEP 29] Bad news for those waiting for the Casablanca Complete Album Collection.  Apparently it has been delayed, although no new release date has been given. People who have placed orders have received refunds from what I am told.  I can only assume that either there is a licensing issue that needs to be worked out, or there is some technical issue that has caused havoc with the production schedule. All it would take is an issue with one  of the albums to throw the whole collection off track.

[SEP 29] Johnnyswim fans, check out their interview on Grammy.com. Also, if you were able to catch the Titans' game today then you weren't hallucinating - that really was Johnnyswim singing the National Anthem.  :-)

[SEP 29] Facebook users: Alejandro has posted something like 9 million (give or take a few  LOL) screen captures from the 1980 TV special. These are captures from a very good quality source.

[SEP 29] That brings us to YouTube, and let's start with that high quality copy of the TV special. Tom from the fan club posted  the full show from the original master, so it's a really clear copy.  :-)  (Hmmm - I wonder if the powers that be would ever digitally master that and sell it as an on-demand kind of thing?)  Then we have Patrice's video for Take Heart, Giorgio Moroder and Chris Cox's mixshow in Japan - featuring Donna hits of course, a tribute video for Friends Unknown from our friend currently known as Suecase Hall (break out your hankies for that one), then there is an instrumental for Last Dance (set to a slide show), and Donna performing with Seal in 2010.

[SEP 26] Breaking news on Love To Love You Donna! iTunes now has sound clips (long ones actually) for ALL the tracks!  And Love To Love You Baby is available now as a single.  Amazon users - neither the single nor the clips are there yet, but I imagine they will be soon.  :-)

[SEP 24] Yes  it's time for another sneaky midweek update and I have a couple things for you.  First up is a tantalizing interview with Giorgio Moroder that comes with the official Love To Love You Baby remix. (The sound quality on this is way better than the mixshow releases we've heard previously. Some people who were not overly thrilled with the mix before, have found that they enjoy it quite a bit now.  :-) ) 

[SEP 24] Next up is the fan club. Tom has announced a release party for October 12 in Douglas Michigan at the Dunes Resort. It's al all day affair with music, posters, CDs, giveaways and the must important thing - FUN! If you are in that area (or will be) be sure to check it out. And if you are on Facebook, be sure to like the Fan Club page. Tom is trying to get 500 likes, and honestly there have to be at least 500 of us who remember the fan club. (And then  even MORE people we can convert in the never-ending quest to take over the entire internet with Donna!  ;-) )

[SEP 24] And now for the less fun part of the update. I thought that by now the final track list for Love To Love You Donna had to be etched in stone by now just because of the logistics of making the CDs and getting them to where they need to be by release date.  Apparently that's not entirely the case. I was speaking to someone in the industry earlier and it seems there is some sort of kerfuffel  (I love that word!) regarding La Dolce Vida.  It's something about not all the writers signing off on the song yet because of some credit issues. (Not all the writers are being credited appropriately for their contributions.) They are hoping to have that all sorted in a couple of days, and I'm really hoping that's the case because I want the vaulted tracks! (And raiding the vault myself became a lot less fun without Donna there to guard the door. Sigh....)  The other thing I am hoping is that if the track list isn't nailed down yet, maybe there is still time for Verve to  clean up the Working The Midnight Shift madness. I think all it would take is a little truth in advertising - something like the CD art and advertising listing 12 mixes (13 if we get La Dolce Vida)  plus a bonus COVER version.  I think the song probably would have been received a lot better by all of us if we had known it was meant to be a cover before we heard it. I mean, it's not bad as a cover (IMO) ... it's just not Donna. 

[SEP 22] Happy Sunday everyone! Let's start off with yet another track from Love To Love You Donna. This one is The Master's At Work mix of Last Dance. I really like this one - it's got a bit of chill groove to it.  And I am still loving the fact that Verve has gone with a collection of vastly different mixes so that there is something for everyone. It also gives us something to fight about on the forum just like in the good old pre-2012 days.  ;-)  (Of course I won't consider the forum completely back to normal until we can fight about wigs again!  LOL ) Oh and I just realized - it's exactly 1 month until the album is out.  :-) Bring on La Dolce Vita!!!  (Is it still too early to stare intently at my mailbox in anticipation of the arrival of my CD from Amazon?)

[SEP 22] in single news, Metro.co.uk had an article listing the week's new singles. Intriguingly, La Dolce Vita was included in the list. Unfortunately it was the only one without a sound clip to go with it - nor has it turned up for sale anywhere yet.  The article describes the song like this: It’s softly romantic rather than raunchy but as the robot chorus declares: ‘We miss her so’. Is is October 22 yet? Or should I go back to staring at my mailbox again! (No wonder my neighbors think I'm weird.  LOL)

[SEP 22] And while we are talking about Love To Love You Donna, clear your calendar for October 12. The Official Fan Club has something up its sleeve for that date to celebrate the album. Tom isn't saying exactly what yet, so you are gonna have to watch the website. (Oh and for us long-time fans who remember the cartoon image the fan club used to use - it's back on their Facebook page.  :-) )

[SEP 22] There is an article online from earlier this year celebrating The Other Shades Of Donna Summer's Rainbow. It features a discussion of 10 of Donna's catalog tracks that show her diversity as a musical artist.

[SEP 22] HeraldScotland.com has a whole article celebrating I Feel Love.  Mark my words, that song will outlive us all.  :-)

[SEP 22] In movie news, Justin Timberlake was in Caanes promoting the Neil Bogart biopic Spinning Gold. The film goes into production next year, and it looks like they've already made some deals with various foreign markets.   :-)

[SEP 22] For those of you who use Facebook, Alejandro has been posting classic stuff again.  :-)  He's got a bunch of promo pictures from... I'd say maybe about 1976? 1975? I've seen that dress on Soul Train, I just have to remember what she was singing!  LOL Then he has a few from 1977, and a pair from 1978? 1979? I'm leaning to 1979 on those. 

[SEP 22] Happy Birthday to Bruce Sudano who turns ummmm... 21 again?  ;-) later this week.  I think in honor of his birthday, everyone should go buy themselves a gift - With Angels On A Carousel.  Check out this review on Soul Tracks to see just why you should get this CD.  :-)

[SEP 22] That brings us to YouTube. We have a TV clip of  Try Me, Could It Be Magic from 1981, an ET segment of stars remembering Donna, Patrice's extended Love Is The Healer, Patrice's video for Winter Melody, and Klyk's Instrumental mix of Be Myself Again paired with a slide show by Patrice. It's done as a dance mix and it's really pretty cool.

[SEP 18] Just a quick update for some news.  :-) Let's start with Daeida Magazine. The September issue is out now (and available to read online.) It has the first part of a 3 part interview with Nellie Prestwood - formerly a publicist at Casablanca and Donna's assistant. It also has a review of Bruce's CD, With Angels On A Carousel - which is their CD of the month.  So make sure you go check that out.  :-)

[SEP 18] Some of you expressed interest in a release party for Love To Love You Donna. Well, if you are in the New York area, here is a little something that just may fit the bill.  :-)  Dance Ritual Presents: Flashback with Louie Vega will be celebrating the release of Love To Love You Donna.  That will be October 13 from 7 PM to  1 AM at Santos Party House.  I feel obligated to say it's 21 and over, although I suspect for most of us 21 is just a fond memory.  LOL

[SEP 18] And finally, yet another Love To Love You track has hit the web. It's Working The Midnight Shift (Holy Ghost Remix) and you have probably run into some discussion of the track if you are on social media. (Well, "discussion" may be a mild term!  LOL)  For those who don't know, many fans are up in arms because that mix does not use any of Donna's vocals. It's a cover track.  Had it been an actual remix of Donna's track, I think it would have gained more acceptance because musically it's not bad.  But since someone else is singing... well let's just say (in what may be the understatement of the week)  that some people are a a bit put off by it.  And as is usually the case with Donna fans, we haven't been too shy about expressing our opinions.  Here's my take on the situation. Yes, I am very disappointed that this is a cover. A cover has no place on a remix album. Cover tributes should have a separate album.  BUT - I am still excited about Love To Love You Donna because there are other mixes I do like AND..... (this is the really important part) ... we will be getting La Dolce Vita which is a track straight from the vault. Don't ever forget that! There will be an unreleased track! And if that sells well, it could very well open the door for more vaulted stuff.  (Ann fingers and toes crossed!!!) 

[SEP 18] Just as I was about to upload this, I saw that now the Duke Dumont remix of Dim All The Lights has hit the web.  There is also talk that the Last Dance mix may turn up soon too.

[SEP 15] Happy Sunday everyone!  Let's start with Love To Love You Donna. We've had the track list for awhile, but I thought I'd summarize the remix leaks here - especially since one more turned up tonight.  The one thing I am really liking about this album is that there are a variety of styles of mixes, so that hopefully everybody can find a mix or 2 or 3 or 14 that they like.  (And at the very least, we will have something to argue about on the forum.  LOL)  So here is the track list with links to the leaks.

1. Love To Love You (Giorgio Moroder feat. Chris Cox Remix)

2. Dim All The Lights (Duke Dumont Remix)

3. Hot Stuff (Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper Director's Cut Signature Mix)

4. I Feel Love (Afrojack Remix)

5. Love Is In Control (Chromeo and Oliver Remix)

6. Sunset People (Hot Chip Dub)

7. Working The Midnight Shift (Holy Ghost! Remix)

8. Bad Girls (Gigamesh Remix)

9. MacArthur Park (Laidback Luke Remix)

10. I Feel Love (Benga Mix)

11. On The Radio (Jacques Greene Remix)

12. Last Dance (Masters At Work Remix Short Version)

13. La Dolce Vita by Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder

14. Our Love (Krystal Klear Remix)  [Go to about 12:50 in the mixshow]

[SEP 15] I mentioned a couple of updates ago that Germany's JPC site has an I Feel Love compilation coming out September 30. Well they finally have a tracklist posted. They don't have the track  times listed, but I'm guessing that the extra I Feel Love is the 12" version. Disk 1:  I Feel Love, Love To Love You, Bad Girls, Hot Stuff, Love Is In Control, MacArthur Park, Love's Unkind, Theme From The Deep (OST version), On The Radio, I Remember Yesterday, Could It Be Magic, Back In Love Again, Rumour Has It, Last Dance, Heaven Knows, Dim All The Lights, She Works Hard For The Money, Unconditional Love. Disk 2: I Feel Love, Je T'Aime, Theme From The Deep, MacArthur Park Suite, No More Tears, Sunset People, Our Love.

[SEP 15] I haven't had anything silly for awhile, so I guess it's time.  The residents of the small town Castrovalva in Italy got together and made a music video of the whole town lip-syncing to Hot Stuff in order to attract more tourism. They only have about 20 residents there and it looks like they got them all in the video - from the very young to the old-timers. It looks like they had a lot of fun making the video.  :-)  (On a side note, the mountains there look beautiful.)

[SEP 15] Johnnyswim fans -  if you missed them on Craig Ferguson the other night, well fear not. It's been captured on YouTube and on Craig Ferguson's website.  (It's the September 13 episode.) The duo ROCKED the house!  :-) (And you kow somewhere in heaven, Donna is grabbing people and pointing down with pride saying those are MY kids!  And well she should!)

[SEP 15] That brings us to YouTube. This week look for a 2008 Curtain Call interview, the TGIF trailer, a Patrice video for If There Is Music There, an extended mix of Now I Need You, and Bad Girls and Hot Stuff from the Nobel Peace Prize concert. ANd finally a Soundcloud bonus for you - the DRSJ 2013 mix of She Works Hard For The Money.

[SEP 13] Happy Friday the 13th! This one is a lucky one for Johnnyswim fans because they will be on Craig Ferguson tonight. On the East Coast he's on CBS at 12:30 am (after David Letterman).  I assume that's the case for the West Coast too. Central people, Mountain people, Alaska and Hawaii - you are on your own!  LOL  I highly recommend keeping an eye on Johnnyswim's Instagram page - they love to post pictures from their adventures.

[SEP 13] Now, if you are old like me and don't have a can meowing at you to keep you awake until 12:30,  well then you can play a little dance music to keep the energy levels up. Might I recommend the latest Donna remixes to leak from the upcoming album?  We have On The Radio (look for the little play button under the cover picture), we have Hot Stuff, and Sunset People.  There is also a mixshow that uses the Our Love mix. Look for that at about 12:50. I'll be back Sunday.  :-)

[SEP 10] I came home tonight to discover that another remix has sneaked out.  :-) (Well since it's posted on Pitchfork.com I guess you can't say it sneaked out - more like we were deliberately given a teaser to keep us insane until October.  LOL) You can hear it here, but I understand that some of our international friends were having trouble accessing the mix. And I know of at least one person who couldn't play it on Chrome, but Internet Explorer worked just fine. So if you find you are having trouble - try switching browsers. It won't hurt and it might help.  :-)  

[SEP 10] And as long as I'm here, iTunes now has Love To Love You Donna available for pre-order.  The good news is that they have a bonus track of Our Love listed  - the Krystal Klear Remix.  The bad news is that they don't have sound clips available yet. I wonder if I stare at iTunes the same way my cats stare at me at feeding time, if it will make the clips appear faster?  LOL

[SEP 8] Okay - raise your hand if you remember the old Donna Summer Fan Club run by Tom Gilliam and company? Okay, those of you with your hands raised who happen to be at work while reading this - don't you feel silly sitting at your desk with your hand up?  Your coworkers will think you are nuts. LOL  For those of you who remember the fan club, you will be excited to learn that Tom has set up a fan club site and it is now open. There is a ton of cool stuff there and I warn you if you start with the pictures, you may never leave.  LOL For those of you who are too young to remember the fan club - well now is your chance to get acquainted with it.

[SEP 8] In the land of releases, the German site JPC has listings for an I Feel Love compilation and a 2 disk vinyl set for Love To Love You Baby. There are no details yet other than the I Feel Love compilation is due out September 30 and the Love To Love You set is due October 22.

[SEP 8] For those who need a remix fix before the album comes out next month, check out this mix of Work That Magic by  DJ Queen Vic.

[SEP 8] Facebookers, Alejandro is at is again. This week he's posted pictures of Donna with artist Peter Muhldorfer, and then a compilation of the same image altered many times, and a collection of 1975 images taken in LA.  And for the non-Facebookers, I was sent a page from Musik Express from 1980 featuring Donna clowning around with a boom box. 

[SEP 8] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce will be teaming up with Giorgio Moroder for one song in Winslow, AZ as part of the Station To Station Project. It will be a song they create on the train from Santa Fe. For those unfamiliar with the Station To Station Project, it is essentially a 3 week mobile cultural event featuring people from  the worlds of art, music, film, literature and food.  The train stops at 9 different places with events planned for each.  It's a really intriguing idea and I can't wait to see what comes of it.

[SEP 8] Johnnyswim fans - catch the recording of their live appearance on WFUV. Then catch this clip from last year of Amanda with the women of Smokey Joe's Cafe.

[SEP 8] I think that will bring us to YouTube. Let's start off with a rare Afrikola commercial from Donna's German days. Then we have Last Dance from David Foster & Friends, She Works Hard For The Money from Disco Inferno, Try Me from American Bandstand, Live & More Encore, and a classic clip of Love To Love You (with the creepy dancers.)

[SEP 1] Happy Labor Day weekend to my American friends. Happy September to everyone else. It's a new month so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are up to She Works Hard For the Money. (Or in my case, She Works Hard For NO Money!  LOL  I wonder if my employer is reading?) If you missed the update from the other night, you better go get caught up - you KNOW you want all the details on the remix album.  :-)

[SEP 1] To go along with the first single (Love Is In Control) from the remix album, we have a cool new remix video. This is the official video. I'll have a fan video for you a little later in the update.

[SEP 1] And for those of you wondering about the unreleased La Dolce Vita, you can hear a tiny little clip at the end of this segment on Donna's death. 

[SEP 1] Photo hounds, you will LOVE this link someone found to Peter Raba Photography. It has a whole bunch of old pictures of Donna from her German days. These have never been seen before - well at least by me.  

[SEP 1] Google has archived a 2009 interview with Pete Bellotte about  I Feel Love.  You can read it here. And Interview Magazine reposted their 1976 interview with Donna.

[SEP 1] And that brings us to YouTube. Look for Philippe's cool (and trippy) video for Dim All The Lights, Summer3K's video for the Love Is In Control remix, and ANOTHER fan video for the Love Is In Control mix,. Then we have a few official videos for When Love Takes Over You, There Goes My Baby, the original Love Is In Control, All Systems Go, and The Woman In Me.  Actually, just go to the Donna Summer YouTube channel and see EVERYTHING that's been posted. There is a lot! :-)  Finally, a 1993 clip from a French news show. 

[AUG 30] This is just a quick early update to bring you news on the remix CD, Love To Love You Donna..  :-)  First of all, the official Facebook page has released the cover image... in a clever way. If you are a Facebook user (and not on a mobile device because it won't work on one) please use this link to reveal the cover. You'll see there are a couple of things you have to do to see it, and all of them help to promote the CD on social media.  :-) Of course I'm not going to deprive you if you are not on Facebook.  :-) I have the image right here for you. 

[AUG 30] We also have the track list for the new CD. :-) There are some interesting choices so pay attention.  

1. Love To Love You (Giorgio Moroder feat. Chris Cox Remix)

2. Dim All The Lights (Duke Dumont Remix)

3. Hot Stuff (Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper Director's Cut Signature Mix)

4. I Feel Love (Afrojack Remix)

5. Love Is In Control (Chromeo and Oliver Remix)

6. Sunset People (Hot Chip Dub)

7. Working The Midnight Shift (Holt Ghost! Remix)

8. Bad Girls (Gigamesh Remix)

9. MacArthur Park (Laidback Luke Remix)

10. I Feel Love (Benga Mix)

11. On The Radio (Jacques Greene Remix)

12. Last Dance (Masters At Work Remix Short Version)

13. La Dolce Vita by Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder

Spot that last track? It's an unreleased track straight from the vault! :-)

[AUG 30] And finally tonight, Bruce's album With Angels On A Carousel is finally out on iTunes and Amazon.  Physical CDs will be available on Amazon On Demand. Take my advice and check out this album. It is amazing. It is his personal spiritual and emotional journey through Donna's illness and loss, and I like to think of it as a love letter to her. He has a true gift for painting a picture with words and melody and you will hate yourself if you don't  give it a listen. 

[AUG 25] Just a reminder for Bruce's fans out there - his new albums With Angels On A Carousel is due out tomorrow. If you have been following the Facebook lyric postings, then you know he has some seriously good stuff on the album.  :-)

[AUG 25] On to Donna.  :-) As you know the new remix album is due in October.  The Hot Stuff mix got played in a club recently, and if you can see Facebook and don't mind that the sound quality is a little rough at times (the perils of recording at  alive event!) then you can check it out here.  I think I like this one - it will be nice to hear it on the CD when it's out.  :-)

[AUG 25] In other release news, Universal is putting out a complete Donna Summer Casablanca collection box set on September 27.So far I see availability in Holland and Germany - we'll have to see how many countries actually end up getting it. 

[AUG 25] In the Donna is everywhere category, I had the TV on the other night and suddenly I saw an ad for this makeup. You will understand why it caught my attention as soon as you click the link - BUT I should warn you that as soon as the page loads, you will hear the ad immediately. So if you are working in a quiet office and don't want to be caught doing some personal websurfing, make sure you mute the volume on your computer.  LOL

[AUG 25] Alejandro has been posting articles on Facebook again. This week he's added: the Bad Girls tour book, and a bunch of No More Tears artwork.

[AUG 25] Johnnyswim fans, catch their Tumi Case Studies spots here, and here. And check out Amanda's section on the Tumi website.  For something more musical, check out their track by track breakdown of Heart Beats part 1 and part 2. ANd then there is the interview you can read on Examiner.com.

[AUG 25] And that brings us to the web. First up, many of you remember the Donna Summer Fan Club (from the olden days before there was the internet. Yes kids... back when dinosaurs roamed the world, we had to get our news through snail mail.  LOL) Well save this link, Tom has plans for it.   :-)  On YouTube, Sandro has been filling in the Brazilian clips with a 1992 clip from MTV Brazil, another 1992 clip from Espaço Amador, and a 1995 clip from MTV Brazil. (The MTV clips are in English, the other one has an interpreter speaking over Donna.) Then there is Junior's Sound Factory mix of My Life, a TV clip of On The Radio, Fairy Tale High from the 1980 TV Special (with an appearance by a young Mimi), a 1976 video for Autumn Changes, and finally KC (of KC & The Sunshine Band) remembers Donna right after she passed.

[AUG 18]  So last night was the ARTE TV special called Donna Summer: Hot Stuff. Now if you missed it, some of you can view it on the ARTE TV website.  (I would watch it soon if I were you because I don't know how long they will keep it posted.) The bad news is that the video is region-locked so many of us can't watch it, unless we happen to be clever with Google.  (You would be surprised at what you can find out when you know where to look!)  I'm trying to watch the special as I work on the update (which means I'm typing slower than usual  LOL) and from what I've seen so far, there is a lot of early stuff we don't normally get to hear about. One thing that is annoying is that they have a translator speaking over Mary and the other non-French speaking interviewees. So if you don't speak French you have to listen hard to hear the English (or in some cases German) underneath. BUT - they left Donna's phone interview alone. You hear her voice clearly with text captions doing the translation. I thought that was a nice touch to let us hear what is probably Donna's last interview. 

[AUG 18] The other big news for the week is that Verve Records issued the press release for the upcoming Love To Love You Donna remix album. Because of that, music columns and blogs everywhere are picking up the story - including Billboard.   :-)  Here's what we know so far about the album. It's due out on October 22 (and Amazon USA has the pre-order available now), the first single will be the Chromeo and Oliver mix of Love Is In Control, to be followed by Giorgio Moroder's mix of Love To Love You.  We'll also be getting a Knuckles and Kupper mix of Hot Stuff,  and a Hot Chip mix of Sunset People. And according to Twitter, MAW is working on something too. Altogether there are supposed to be 12 remixers working on this album. Now this is a tribute I can really enjoy. Instead of having 12 artists sing Donna's songs (and let's face it no matter how great the artists are, they aren't Donna), they are keeping Donna's vocals and letting the remixers have some fun. And you know what? It's the DJs and remixers who have had a huge part in keeping Donna alive on the dance charts all these years - they are the prefect ones to do a tribute. Even better - they have the whole back catalog to choose from, so they can pick a song that speaks to them and go crazy with it.  :-)

[AUG 18] Also in release news, there is a new CD version of the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack. It's a 2 disk set and it's what they call a vinyl replica. Which means the CD looks like a record and the packaging matches what came with the original vinyl. It's like taking the original vinyl and shrinking it down to CD size.  It looks cool amd since it's remastered, it should sound good too.

[AUG 18] Broadway.com has a poll - Which legendary female singer should get a bio musical? There are quite a few choices, including Donna, but at the moment Karen Carpenter tops the list.

[AUG 18] Let's move on to Johnnyswim. We have a new interview on LifeAndTimes.com, and a NY Times article on Tumi using lesser known faces in their current ad campaign. (I don't think Amanda and Abner are going to be "lesser known" faces for long though.  LOL)  They are also touring all over the place, so check their list and see which shows you can attend. (You will hate yourself if you miss out - trust me on that!)

[AUG 18] Bruce Sudano fans - his album, With Angels On A Carousel, will be out August 26. But while we are waiting, he has been posting little teasers on his Facebook page. Actually the teasers aren't so little. He's posted song lyrics the past 3 days, and I am assuming that will continue until the album is out. Many of you know the album was written while Bruce was going through everything with Donna. So the expectation might be that the album will be depressing.  Going by what's been posted so far - the opposite is true. It seems to be very uplifting.  I'll give you a little taste of what he posted today so you can see what I mean, and also because the words are good advice:

High’s and lows, in’s and outs
Win and lose, ups and downs
It’s give and take, round and round
Way up high and underground

Dream with a passion, love with your heart
Taste every moment, give all you got

Live every moment, love all you can…while you can

That’s what it’s all about

[AUG 18] I think that brings us to Alejandro's Facebook article collection. This week he added US from 1979, Teen from 1979, and Buenhogar from 1979.

[AUG 18] And finally in the land of YouTube we have a long profile on Giorgio Moroder, with some Donna music included of course.  Part 1 is here and part 2 is here. Then we have Donna's last interview with ET,  Dinner With Gershwin live, Last Dance live,  Breakaway live, a 1992 interview from Brazil (what is that  clip they show at 1:07 and does anybody have the rest of it?), and finally a 1995 Brazilian talk show appearance. (Ok I cheated - the last clip is on DailyMotion instead of YouTube.  :-) ) 

[AUG 11] If you missed my update the other day - better go read it.  :-) 

[AUG 11] Ok so if you are caught up on the news, you know we are looking at an official remix album coming out in October.  :-) I have one more piece of info to add to that. Frankie Knuckles is working on a remix of Hot Stuff. 

[AUG 11] If you are going to be in the Boston area on September 7,  Voices of Hope will be doing a concert to benefit the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at Massachusetts General Hospital. Voices of Hope is a charity  that uses music and dance to raise money for cancer. At this particular concert, they plan to pay tribute to LaVerne Andrews, George Harrison, Dan Fogelberg and Donna - all of whom were taken from us by cancer.

[AUG 11] Johnnyswim fans, we have 2 new articles out there. The first is an interview in Billboard, and the second is a review on Ear To The Ground Music. 

[AUG 11] Taihisha fans: if you haven't yet, go check out Erik Rico's new EP, Love's Dance Vol 1.  [Amazon and iTunes] It has 3 songs (each presented as the regular vocal version and as an instrumental version) to get you moving.  (I should have played it while I was painting yesterday to keep me fired up, instead of waiting until later when I was too stiff and sore to move!  LOL) The second track, Think Of You, is performed by Taihisha - and that's perfect since she's the one who wrote it.  :-)  When you grab your copy, try to leave a review after you've had a listen. Let's see if we can fill in those naked review pages!  :-)

[AUG 11] That brings us to Alejandro's Facebook collection. He's posted the Bad Girls tour book, a 1979 magazine from Chile, Rona Barrett's Hollywood from 1979,  and Right On from 1979.

[AUG 11] Finally on YouTube we have Donna's first appearance on the Tonight Show, an animated fan video for I Believe In Jesus,   another for Spring Affair, Last Dance part 1 and Last Dance part 2 live in Puerto Rico, Hot Stuff from the same concert, and finally Bad Girls/Hot Stuff from the Hot Summer Night with Donna special.

[AUG 9] This is just a quick update for some breaking news. I have a couple of items, but let's start with Donna. First, we have a brand new Chromeo and Oliver remix of Love Is In Control. Notice that the SoundCloud account belongs to Verve Records. Yup, that's a label.  :-) Now this mix was an official surprise promoted by Donna's social media team. Here's the next part courtesy of Sebastiano over in Italy. (And if you haven't been to his site, you should go check it out!)  He has discovered (because he was smart enough to check Verve's Facebook while I was slacking off  LOL) that this is part of an upcoming album called Love To Love You Donna, due out in October.  This may or may not be a coincidence, but a mix of Love To Love You by none other than Giorgio Moroder himself has turned up on YouTube. AND Louis Vega recently tweeted that Masters At Work are in a studio working on something. They didn't say what, but they gave  the hint: Donna Summer.  :-) 

[AUG 9] In other news (this has been a very exciting day!), Bruce Sudano has announced the release date for his new album With Angels On A Carousel will be out August 26.  Also  he mentioned that the new song/video on his site was filmed in 2011 when he was going through, as he puts it, the storm.

[AUG 9] And while I'm here, if you happen to be in Los Angeles tomorrow (August 10), catch Johnnyswim with Emeli Sande at Club Nokia.  If you haven't seen them perform before, well then what are you waiting for? They will also be doing  Craig Ferguson's late night talk show on September 13. 

[AUG 2] It's a new month, so that makes it time for a new Summer Fever pick! This month we're doing the logical album for the season and going with Christmas Spirit.... No, I'm just teasing. The new pick is the the self-titles album produced by Quincy Jones, Donna Summer. It is an album by a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and produced by a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer which I think is pretty cool.  :-)

[AUG 2] As long as I'm here and it's practically the weekend anyway, I might as well just do the update.   :-) Let me start off with eBay. I've had a couple people lately asking me about the value of certain items in their collections. I have to confess, I am not good at putting a value on things since I haven't really been watching eBay lately. The best advice I can give to anyone looking to sell is to check the closed auctions what's been there (even similar items by different artists, if you can't find a similar Donna item out there) and then look to see what the items actually sold for. That should give you a rough idea of what the market is, and then also take into account how much it would take to make you want to part with a particular item. If the market price is significantly lower than what you are willing to let the item go for - then now is not the time to sell. It might be better to wait and see what the economy does - people are willing to spend more when they feel their financial future is more certain.

[AUG 2] There's not really any Donna news (other than more Facebook stuff which I'll get to in a minute), so I'm just gonna jump right to the family. First up, Bruce Sudano and his Candyman band will be playing Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles again on August 22 at 9 PM. If you are in that area (or will be) then make sure you catch the show!

[AUG 2] In Johnnyswim news, they played the VH1 Do Something Awards the other night. I missed it unfortunately (stupid job!)  but I'm hoping VH1 will post a clip on their Johnnyswim page.  They also did a love Twitter Q&A session yesterday. You can check it out at ArtistsDot on Twitter.

[AUG 2] Facebookers: if you are not following The Official Donna Summer, you should be. Aside from all the cool interactive postings, rare photos and clips, they are now adding contests. They just wrapped one up for an exclusive  iPhone case with Donna's picture on it.  And while you are on Facebook, check out the new classic stuff Alejandro has posted. He's got a 1979 issue of Newsweek (Disco Takes Over), a 1979 issue of Grooves, a 1979 issue of Jet,  and a 1979 issue of Circus.  (With all this 1979 stuff, I feel like playing the Bad Girls album!)

[AUG 2] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Glenn Rivera's Restructured Hot Stuff, Bad Girls/Hot Stuff from the Nobel Peace Prize concert, a fan-made computer animated video for I Feel Love, and an extended version of This Time I Know It's For Real.

[JUL 28] Happy Sunday everyone! It seems like I'm starting off with Johnnyswim a lot lately, but I can't help it. They are doing cool stuff and it's exciting to see a young act starting to find their success.  :-)  So with that in mind, catch the duo Wednesday night on VH1's Do Something Awards. (It's 8 PM Eastern - check your local listing for other time zones). Then catch them in Nashville on September 21 for a benefit concert to improve the education of at risk youth. Of course if you can't wait, keep checking out their VH1 page for exclusive clips. And now I have to tell my little story from tonight. I was watching Tina Turner on the Palladia cable channel earlier tonight and was really getting into it (she's my #2 diva) when they cut to commercial. Before I could even let out the groan that the show was being interrupted, I was stunned to see Amanda's face filling my my screen. Palladia was playing this clip, and it was very exciting to see it so unexpectedly on my TV.  :-) So let's just say, if Palladia HAD to interrupt my Tina fix, they did it in the most awesome way possible.

[JUL 28] OK, Giorgio Moroder fans, Rolling Stone has posted a "Fireside Chat" with him. In it, Giorgio talks about his musical history.... including a little about Love To Love You, I Feel Love and Hot Stuff. The interview (plus audio clips of the songs) is an hour long, so there is plenty about Giorgio's other work as well.

[JUL 28] The ARTE-TV special Donna Summer: Hot Stuff has an IMDB page now. There isn't a lot there yet, but probably more details will be filled in after the show airs.

[JUL 28] Facebookers - Alejandro is at it again. This time he has the TGIF Lobby cards, the TGIF Japanese movie program, a whole bunch of Live & More stuff, Right On's 1979 Spring Annual, photos from Merv Griffin, Lundi from 1979,  Circus Weekly from 1979, and photos from the 1979 Unicef concert. And just in case you don't feel old right now, that cute little girl in Donna's arms in the Unicef pictures is now married with FOUR children of her own.  (Now you feel old, don't you? My work here is done!  LOL)

[JUL 28] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's start with the complete John Walsh Show from 2003.  (An interesting bit of trivia from that show - the guest segments were all filmed on different days. So the audience changes considerably as each day was packed with fans of the various guests.) Then we have the long commercial for I Remember Yesterday,  and a fan tribute called The Journey To The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (13 minutes done with love - it's AMAZING! Only a fan could have made it.) Then there is a clip from the 1987 Diamond Awards, a medley from 1999, and a clip of Hard For The Money.

[JUL 21] I'm going to start off with Johnnyswim again. If you missed them on the Tonight Show Monday, you can catch their performance on YouTube. You know somewhere Donna is looking down and smiling! After you watch that clip, check out their page on VH1 for the one minute version of Don't Let It Get You Down (and any of the other clips you may have missed) and then go to Johnnyswim's Instagram page to see this funny picture they took with Jay Leno. 

[JUL 21] There is an interesting article on Huffington Post comparing "home-grown' celebrities with "born" ones. They use Johnnyswim as an example of a home-grown celebrity. 

[JUL 21] Let's move on to Donna.  :-)  She made the Telegraph's list of Songs For A Heatwave with Hot Stuff.  (I don't know if I can agree with that pick. When it's 95 out I don't need any more Hot Stuff. I'd rather have a little Cold Love instead!  LOL)

[JUL 21] Here's one from last year: The Mirror posted Donna's life in photos. The pictures are pretty cool but at the bottom there is an invitation for people unfamiliar with Donna's work to check out some sound clips.... they are all from the Shout It Out collection.  LOL  So I would like to say, if you are new to Donna Summer, please check out ANY of her work except the clips posted with that article. (Seriously - go to your favorite online music source, type on "Donna Summer" and you can pretty much pick any random track that pops up and it will be a better representation that the Shout It Out tracks.)

[JUL 21] Some of you here in the US may have run into a special edition of People Magazine featuring People We Lost Too Soon.  If you are thinking of picking it up so see what they wrote about Donna, save your money. I did not find her in it. On the other hand, there are a lot of other cool people in it, so if you are a fan of some of them it could be worth checking out.

[JUL 21] Facebookers: Alejandro has been posting again.  :-) He's got a bunch of  rare promo shots, Donna with the Brooklyn Dreams, some Heaven Knows stuff, a 1978 article from Mandate, and the 1978 Year In Music book.

[JUL 21] And just because I like to have a little something weird posted here once in awhile - a milkman in Leicester has been banned from whistling on his early morning rounds after people complained. Apparently 2 of his favorite songs to whistle are God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols and Love To Love You by Donna.  (Strangely I never thought of either as a song that anyone would whistle.  LOL)

[JUL 21] That brings us to YouTube. Look for the TV commercial for the 1978 Live & More album, a live clip of A Song For You, Patrice's extended mix of Love Will Always Find You, Bad Girls from the Tonight Show, Hot Stuff from Dinah Shore, an interview from Arsenio Hall, and She Works Hard For The Money from the Nobel Peace Prize concert.

[JUL 14] Let's start off this week with Johnnyswim. US fans should be sure to tune into The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tomorrow (Monday July 15)  to catch the duo performing. Woot!  Now you may ask why they got that gig... well the answer is they are awesome. Also they are VH1's first ever Artist You Oughta Know Plus - which means they get more promotion and support over a longer period of time than regular You Oughta Know artists. That support helped get the Tonight Show gig. 

[JUL 14] Also, in an interview with VH1, Amanda mentioned that their latest track Heart Beats  is kind of a tribute to Donna and it was written about the time she was diagnosed with the cancer.

[JUL 14]  You can also catch Johnnyswim on ABC's Music Lounge blog as part of the Summer Showcase Series.  They have videos posted there of the duo singing 3 different songs.

[JUL 14] And that will bring us back to Donna. GospelMusicUpdate.com has some photos from Donna's appearance in 2006 with the Nashville Symphony. There are also meet and greet photos posted as well in case any of you was backstage at that event. 

[JUL 14] Facebookers: Alejandro has been posting more magazines and such. Look for  the TGIF Book, the TGIF paper sleeve CD (which actually looks like a record - so cool!), some TGIF photos, and some American Bandstand photos.

[JUL 14] That brings us to YouTube. Look for a new reposting of the very cool clip of Donna with Barry Manilow, Patrice's Last Dance Mix, Could It Be Magic from back in the day, an extended mix of Love's About To Change My Heart, and a 12" version of Protection.

[JUL 7] Let's start off with a reminder that next month ARTE TV will be airing a special about Donna. You can read about it here. It's actually the finale to a whole summer of Soul on ARTE and one of the area TV magazines did an article on the series. This is what Donna's page looks like (You can click it for a larger version, but the resolution is still too low to read:

[JUL 7] And while I'm posting photos - I have another of Donna's grave. As I did last time, I'm only giving you a link out of respect for those who may not want to see it.

[JUL 7] In honor of July 4, Business Insider posted their top 15 best versions of the National Anthem. Guess who came in at #5?   :-)

[JUL 7] Facebookers, there are more magazines posted there:  Us from 1978, Revista Sonido from 1977,  Jet from 1978, and Columbia House's 1977 Year in Music.

[JUL 7] Johnnyswim fans - good news, they are VH1's You Oughtta Know Artist.  Because of that, their Heart Beats video is getting played in the 3 or 4 minutes a day VH1 actually devoted to music. (Remember the good old days when it and MTV were ALL music?  LOL)  There is also a short clip on the VH1 website of the pair explaining where the name Johnnyswim came from.  (Be advised though, they trend to have fun explaining their name so the story can change from interview to interview.

[JUL 7] If you need more of a Johnnyswim fix, check out this live clip of them on Paste Magazine's blog. Also, if you aren't already, you should be following them on Instagram. They post a lot of cool pictures of their travels.

[JUL 7] That brings us to YouTube. First up is a trippy fan-made video by Philippe for the trippy hit, I Feel Love.  :-) (It's pretty cool - check it out.) Then there is Giorgio Moroder (with some vocals by Donna) on Top Of The Pops, Donna with Tina Arena from Live & More Encore, and Patrice's video slide show for You're So Beautiful.

[JUN 30] Happy Pride Day, Happy Independence Day to my American friends, and happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends. Tomorrow is July 1 so that means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month it's time for I'm A Rainbow. 

[JUN 30] Let's start with this: I was sent recent photos of Donna's gravesite. As I know this is a touchy subject for some people (ad I totally get that) I won't post the photos right here in your face. There are two images. Click here if you want to see the first one, and here for the second one. 

[JUN 30] Goldmine has a nice look at Donna's career.

[JUN 30] Facebookers, look for a Brazilian magazine, HX Magazine, Penthouse, Rolling Stone, Jet, and OK.

[JUN 30] That brings us to YouTube.  Look for Friends Unknown live (sorry the quality is a little rough - must have been ripped from an old VHS tape), Donna on Ryan Seacrest's show from 2003, a fan video of Donna outside a hotel in Amsterdam, a fan-created video for Love's Unkind, Patrice's video for Na Na Hey Hey because we just haven't had a good Shout It Out sighting in awhile  LOL, and finally in honor of the holiday this week, the US National Anthem.

[JUN 23] Happy Sunday everyone! Summer must be officially here - the weather is warm, the sun is out, and some crazy woman in Long Island is driving around with her windows open and the Donna tunes blasting. ;-)

[JUN 23] The Bay State Banner has an article on Boston's musical heritage. Hmmm... do we know an artist from Boston?  ;-)  Donna's right there on the first page - the third item on their list.

[JUN 23] T-Online has an article for the best soundtracks of the 70s. In the middle of the article is a link to a slideshow for the best songs of the 70s. I Feel Love is at #6.  :-)

[JUN 23] Photographer Lloyd Wolf posted some photos last year he took of Donna in 1999 on his blog.

[JUN 23] The Huffington Post published a slide show of some of the black Rock Hall Of Famers. Donna is included at the end.

[JUN 23] Johnnyswim fans - did you grab your copy of Heart Beats yet? If not, head over to iTunes or Amazon and grab a copy.

[JUN 23] And speaking of Johnnyswim, they recently performed at the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee. You can see a picture of them in Rolling Stone's Behind The Scenes slideshow.  And you can see then in an VH1 video about the event. 

[JUN 23] Johnnyswim was also on VH1's O Music Awards the other day. You can see them perform Heart Beats on the VH1 website. 

[JUN 23] That brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for a 6 part collection with the Feelin' Love: The Donna Summer Story BBC documentary. It's audio only. This is the first part and you can see the others in the links beside the video. Then there is I Feel Love live in Atlanta from 2010, and Friends Unknown accompanied by a slideshow of fan art. And finally on Vimeo, look fo rthe Supernatural Love video done with the original album version. 

[JUN 16] Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!  Let's start with the ARTE TV special in Germany. It will be called Donna Summer: Hot Stuff and it will air on August 17 at 10 PM. It's going to have interviews with family, friends and colleagues . You can read more about it here (in French - ARTE serves both France and Germany). Or you can go with the translation Wolfgang sent me: “Donna Summer – Hot Stuff: Donna Summer dominated the international pop charts in the 70ies with hits like Love To Love You Baby, I Feel Love, Hot Stuff, and Bad Girls. She was the undisputed Queen of Disco. In her career, spanning four decades, she sold more than 130 million records, won 5 Grammy Awards and her song Last Dance an Oscar. In May 2012 she died unexpectedly from lung cancer. The movie maker Lucia Palacios and Dietmar Post make a transatlantic journey to remind us with former friends, members of her family, musicians, and colleagues of the fascinating story of one of the most colorful icons of Pop.

[JUN 16] Idolator has posted an article where Giorgio Moroder (and others) talk about Donna and about Giorgio's "10 Big Music Moments." Naturally they kick it off with I Feel Love.  :-)

[JUN 16] Facebookers: we have yet another magazine posted there. This one is from the UK (1984).

[JUN 16] Let's move on to Johnnyswim because just in case you forgot - they have a new EP coming out  Tuesday followed by a release party in NYC at Rockwood On Wednesday June 19. The EP is called Heart Beats and will have 3 new tracks and 3 previous ones. And just to whet your appetite, they put out the official video to  the title track already. (It would look so nice on MTV or VH1... if either channel played music anymore.  I must be getting old - I remember when both played music videos all day long.  LOL)

[JUN 16] And if you need a little more Johnnyswim in your life - the Tennessean had a nice little piece about the couple  in their blog the other day. 

[JUN 16] That will bring us to the web news. First up on Vimeo are..  well I don't want to say what they are because they tend to disappear quickly.  ;-) Let's just say that they are 3 popular live tracks from the year 2000  - one of which pays tribute to another diva. So here they are, track 1, track 2 and track 3. (Donna OWNED that night!  :-) ) Then over on YouTube, look for this rare (and surprisingly good quality clip) of a young Donna singing Meglio Stasera (It Had Better Be Tonight),  a 1984 interview from the UK, a 20 minute performance/interview segment from 1992 (in Spanish and English), and On The Radio from the Hot Summer Night special.

[JUN 9] Let's start with a call to all the voting fiends out there.  Boston Magazine is polling people on their favorite things in Boston in all sorts of  categories. One of those categories is best musical act and at the moment Aerosmith is kicking butt. Now they are a great band, but I can think of someone else from Boston....  ;-)

[JUN 9] There is a website out there that has a whole collection of ads from the Voice for the Madison Square Garden and Felt Forum concerts.  If you scroll down to October 23, 1978 you will see a copy of the ad for Donna at the Felt Forum.  ($15 for tickets? You can't even get crappy seats for that these days!  LOL)

[JUN 9] Billboard compiled a list of the 50 sexiest songs of all time.  Look who came in at #6. (And #13, and #33 and even #43.)

[JUN 9] In the Donna is everywhere category, the movie Behind The Candelabra (about pianist Liberace) opens with I Feel Love. 

[JUN 9] German fans - keep an eye on your TV listings. ARTE will be running a special about Donna later this summer. If I get a specific airdate, I'll let you know, but right now I'm hearing July or August.

[JUN 9] For those who need a remix fix, Chris Cox has posted his mix of I Will Love For Love on Soundcloud.

[JUN 9] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is a promo interview/profile piece that was done in 2008 to promote the Berlin concert. Then we have a nice clear copy of Donna's part of the Rock Hall Of Fame ceremony as broadcast (for the unedited version see the fan videos posted by lstdnce), a clip from the TV show The Doctors about lung cancer with an intro piece about Donna, a MUCH more fun clip of Donna performing with Seal at one of the David Foster concerts, and a classic video for Last Dance.

[JUN 2] Let's start with photos. As many of you know, Harry Langdon did a lot of Donna's photo sessions over the years. He's posted a bunch of his 80s work  and that included some alternate shots that were never released.  He is also selling prints of the photos on his site - it's $50 for an 8x10, but there are also larger sizes available for more money.  Check out pages 3 and 4 of Langon80sFasionArt.com to see Donna. (And since we have people here who are also fans of other divas, I will mention that Harry Langdon also has photos pf people like Cher, Diana Ross, Halle Berry and others. So do a little exploring.)

[JUN 2] Facebookers - we have a couple of Brazilian magazines posted courtesy of a fan.  :-)  Check out Donna Summer Celebridades, and Donna Summer Pop Music. 

[JUN 2] Let's move on to Johnnyswim. Their new EP, Heart Beats will be out on June 18 with a release party at Rockwood in NYC on June 19.  (Pardon me while I go do my happy Snoopy dance.  :-) ) If you need a fix before then - head to Manchester TN where they will be playing June 13, 14, and 15. Then later this year, they will be at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival August 17,  then at Mohegan Sun's Wolf Den on September 13, the 17 Days Festival in NC on  September 26 and the University of TN on  September 27. As always, watch Johnnyswim.com for updates to the tour schedule.

[JUN 2] While we are on the subject of Johnnyswim, check out the interview they did for the Charleston City Paper another one for  The Post And Courier, a short article in the Tryon Daily Bulletin, a review from the Charleston City Paper, and another review from The Post And Courier.

[JUN 2] That brings us to YouTube. First up is a Stars on 45 Donna Medley, Melody Of Love from what may be a European TV show, the alternate vocal of Can't We Just Sit Down, Last Dance from Live & More Encore and just for something a  little different, a live Barbra Streisand clip that includes Enough Is Enough. (I'm really gonna miss Donna and Mary doing that one!)

[JUN 1] It's a new month, so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This time, it's The Wanderer. (Hello record labels... we could use a remaster/reissue on this one, Go beg the estate for a chance to do it!  ;-) )

[MAY 31] Woot! My site was having server issues the last couple days, so I couldn't upload any updates until now. (So I guess I should change May 28 to May 31?)

[MAY 28] I have an update to yesterday's update.  LOL The alternate Can't We Just Sit Down is also available on iTunes - it's part of the 2013 remastered I Remember Yesterday. I would assume (even though assuming is usually a bad thing  LOL) that we'll also see it on Amazon, etc soon. I was also noticing that a lot of the old Universal albums have been remastered and reissued on Island Def Jam this year. (Watch out for Once Upon A Time - iTunes has both the remastered and the original posted. All the other remasters show only the new versions available.) And, be still my heart! Live & More has the MacArthur Park Suite on it again.  And if the time listing is accurate - they have the RIGHT VERSION!!! Excuse me while I go do my happy dance now!  Now we just have to get someone to do the same for the Geffen and Atlantic albums. ;-)

[MAY 27] Happy Memorial Day everyone! To all the service people (and of course their families) out there: Thank you for your service and your sacrifices!  First up, the May 17 update moved down the page so I can get back to normal with the news. 

[MAY 27] So let's start with the Cancer Society ad I mentioned in a previous update. Rather than just throw it up here on the page where you have to see it, I'm just going to give you a link.  That way if you think you aren't in the right frame of mind to see it, you don't have to look.  (And you can right click and save that link if you want to keep a copy of the ad for yourself.)

[MAY 27] In Rock Hall Of Fame news, I haven't seen the show yet (no HBO here but working on getting access to a copy  ;-) ) but it is my understanding that they snipped a but of both Bruce's and Kelly's speeches. It was inevitable that something would get trimmed - the taping was over 5 hours. Thank god for the fan videos on YouTube!  :-)  For those who are also waiting for a chance to see the broadcast - there are still more airdates coming (see the list above) and if you don't get HBO... well, there are always friends. (In fact my friend Mr. Google is usually very helpful.) 

[MAY 27] Rolling Stone had an article with Lou Adler and Quincy Jones talking about this year's RHOF inductions. Quincy had this to say about Donna: "I produced her just before I produced Thriller, so it's really meaningful, because it's recognizing her ability. That's what it's about really."

[MAY 27] Stargayzing.com has a nice 1 year later memorial article on Donna.  And The QH Blend blog has a look at "The (Other) Shades of Donna Summer's Rainbow."  Now with a title like that, you KNOW the author is one of us even before you peek at the song list.  :-)

[MAY 27] In release news, There is a site called HDTracks.com that sells high quality music downloads. One of the albums they have available is I Remember Yesterday.  I highly recommend checking out the sound clip for Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over). It sounds a bit different from what we are used to.

[MAY 27] Giorgio Moroder fans - he spun his first US DJ set ever recently - just going to show that it's never too late to try something new.  :-)  Of course he played I Feel Love. (Really, how could he not?)  Spin has an article accompanied by a video clip of Giorgio spinning I Feel Love. Of course that wasn't the only Donna track he sneaked in. You can hear the whole set here.  And you can read more about it here. And if you want more Giorgio, read his interview in TimeOut NY.

[MAY 27] As many of you know, there was talk of Justin Timberlake doing a film called Spinning Gold about Neil Bogart. The film has apparently been picked up by Sony and will begin filming some time next year. 

[MAY 27] Facebookers, a fan over there has posted an entire Spanish magazine dedicated to Donna. You can see it here.

[MAY 27] Let's move to Johnnyswim for a minute.  :-)  Check out Christa Black's blog where she talks to Amanda about self-image.

[MAY 27] And that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start with God Bless America in honor of the holiday today, then we have a clip from the movie Off The Menu about the last days of Chasens. (Some of you may recall that's where Donna got the inspiration for She Works Hard For The Money - and if you don't remember that, well just watch the clip. It's all explained.)  Then we have a live clip from Universal Studios Mardi Gras, and a clip of Giorgio Moroder playing On The Radio at his DJ set. (The sound quality is really rough but you can see that the dancers were getting into it.  :-) ) And finally Giorgio's full DJ set - it's no different from the audio link I posted above, but the YouTube version does include a list of the tracks used.

[MAY 17 2012] 

This is the update I never wanted to write. The one that shouldn't have come for another 20 years or more. And to be honest, I never prepared for this. I suppose that what I'm supposed to do is give you all a run down on Donna's life and career but let's face it - most of you can recite it as well as I can (if not better.) And that's what all the other media outlets are doing anyway. So what should I say?

<snip>

So where to go from here? Donna Summer has passed away. There, I finally made myself say it. Maybe part of me was hoping that if I didn't say it out loud it wouldn't be true. But this is the first time today that I've actually said those words. And it hurts to have to say it. But I know that in time the pain will fade. But the music and the memories will live forever. And while Donna's death makes me cry right now, those memories will always bring a smile back to my face.

To all of Donna's friends and family out there - just let me say how very sorry I am for your loss. I know your pain must be tremendous right now, but know that there are so many of us out here keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers. And if there is any thing at all you need, you have only to ask. 

And Donna, if you can read this where you are - THANK YOU for everything. For the music, for the friends I made because of you and for the kindness you have shown me over the years. I love you and will miss you always. And just so you know - you got the last laugh on me. How many times did you tell people that you could never surprise me - that I always seemed to know what you were doing before you did it? Well, you surprised me today. I hope that makes you chuckle a bit. :-)

(The whole statement is on the archived copy of the Memorial News Page)

ONE YEAR LATER

Someone (I can't remember who) once said, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." That's easy to say, but harder to do, especially at first. But I think a year later, I personally am finding that easier to do. Don't get me wrong, I still sometimes cry. But a year later, I can also smile and laugh too. And I hope many of you are at that point, or are on your way to that point. For those of you who aren't - you will get there someday.  Everybody grieves at their own pace.  

A year ago, after my site crashed from all the excess traffic (and I thought American Idol appearances caused a spike in my hit count!), I logged in to mourn Donna's loss. This year I am celebrating her life. First by grabbing a copy (or 2 or 3 ;-) ) of Sand On My Feet [Amazon, Amazon UK , iTunes], and secondly by making a couple of charitable donations in her name. (Please note that as I am writing this, it's still the 16th here so neither has happened just yet.)  And of course I will be playing music all day long.  :-)  In fact, right now I am listening to Brighton Gay Radio on the internet. They are playing all Donna all day today and tomorrow. As for the site - let's have a little fun! I'm going to share a few of my favorites this time.

I could probably keep adding clips all night, but this page is long enough as it is.  :-) I really did want to include Love Is The Healer from Divas 2000, but it's just not on YouTube anymore. I think VH1 is aggressively protecting their copyright.

Looking for Pages From The Heart Encore? (Of course you are!) The web version is here.

[MAY 12] Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

[MAY 12] First things first - don't forget on May 17 to mark the 1 year anniversary of Donna's passing, we're going to buy Sand On My Feet (and hopefully make it chart!) and we try to do some random act of charity or kindness. That way we honor the musical legacy and the humanitarian legacy.  You can get Sand On My Feet at Amazon, Amazon UK , iTunes and other MP3 sellers.  :-)

[MAY 12] And I know you haven't forgotten that The Rock Hall Of Fame Ceremony airs Saturday May 18 on HBO at 9 PM. The bad news is that the ceremony took about 5 hours so it had to be cut down for broadcast. The good news is I saw Jennifer Hudson plugging the show on Rachel Ray the other day, so that means they aren't cutting Donna out. 

[MAY 12] The June issue of Essence Magazine features a Cancer Society advertisement featuring Donna. Sadness alert: it features a classic photo of her holding a bunch of AMA awards. And over it they have printed a "to do" list  with things like "become a mom" and "win 5 Grammy awards" crossed off, and other things like "attend grandchildren's college graduations" left uncrossed off. And the list is followed by her name and 1948-2012. It's part of their Life List campaign. I couldn't find an online link to show you yet, so I'll try to get a picture of it one of these days.

[MAY 12] in release news, Playlist: The Very Best Of Donna Summer is coming out May 21. [Amazon, Amazon UK] The track list is up now and it's the live part of Live & More Encore. 

[MAY 12] Oh, I don't think I mentioned that Donna has an official Instagram page now. It's run by the same guy who does Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  :-) He's doing a great job too.  (I especially love it when he follows people on Twitter and they freak out because they think Donna is following them from the afterlife.  LOL)

[MAY 12] That brings us to YouTube. First up is MacArthur Park and Last Dance from The Today Show concerts, Donna covering Rod Stewart, the State Of Independence video, and State Of Independence from a TV appearance. And finally, also from The Today Show concerts, Bad Girls and Love To Love You. That was the FIRST time she had performed Love To Love You in any way shape or form in many years. (My jaw STILL hurts from when it dropped to the floor when I heard that bassline kick in!  LOL) I will be back on Friday (May 17) with some sort of an update to mark the anniversary. I will also bring you the online version of Pages From The Heart that day.

[MAY 10] A fan over on Facebook came up with a great idea - on May 17, let's all buy another copy of Sand On My Feet in Donna's honor. Hopefully if enough of us get behind it, we can get it on the sales charts.  :-)  Why Sand On My Feet? Well aside from it being a really nice song that fits this time of year, there is only one version of it. So our efforts won't be dispersed among several different releases.  :-)  You can grab the song on Amazon, Amazon UK and iTunes. And I would still like everybody to do something nice for someone else on May 17 - maybe buy a friend a copy of Sand On My Feet?  ;-)

[MAY 5] Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! First things first - my MS Walk was today, and because you guys came through for me in a big way, I ditched my team t-shirt in favor of my Donna Summer gear. The photo below is me with my team Captain, Courtney who says: "Thanks to all the Donna Summer fans who made walk MS a big success!" Thanks to all who contributed and I will be getting back to you a bit sooner than I did last year.

In case you can't tell, I'm wearing my Crayons street team shirt, my Crayons hoodie, and the button on my had is one I had made in Donna's memory. And for the record the camera in my phone is really bad.  In person I'm really svelte and much younger.  ;-)

[MAY 5] In other news, I just need to put some final touches on the Pages from the Heart book before I send it out. And I will make the website page available on or shortly before May 17.  Thanks to all who wrote something. I think it will be nice for the family to have something tangible to show our appreciation for all the years they put up with our craziness. (I never could figure out why they didn't sell tour straightjackets ever...  ;-) ) 

[MAY 5] AND with May 17 right around the corner, I would like to suggest once more that on that day we all make an effort to perform a random act of charity or kindness on that day to honor Donna's memory.  What you do is strictly up to your own imaginations and abilities. You could donate money, you could donate time, you could say a prayer for someone, or you could just refrain from strangling that coworker who seems to deserve it so much!  LOL Whatever works for you.

[MAY 5] Johnnyswim fans - they appeared on the Today Show the other day! Go Amanda and Abner!  :-)  The performance is online on the Today website, but I strongly suspect that it is region locked. (A Google search may show you how to work around that.... maybe.  ;-) )

[MAY 5] That brings us to YouTube. We have Last Dance live from 2011, She Works Hard For The Money and Dinner With Gershwin from the Late Show (1987), a remix of You're So Beautiful,  and for you videogame fans out there - I Feel Love from Let's Dance 3.

[MAY 1] Happy May Day everyone! It's a new month, so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This time, it's Bad Girls. (And that's a great one to showcase our Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer!  :-) )

[APR 28] Let's start off today with a request. There are some people in Germany working on a documentary about Donna and they are looking for fan footage from the Berlin 2009 concert. This is the real deal - something Donna herself knew about and approved of before she passed, so if you have something you are willing to share let me know and I'll hook the right people up with you.  :-)

[APR 28] If you are on Facebook or the forum then you know a couple of "new" photos of Donna have surfaced. I also have another older "new" photo that came to my email recently.  First up the Facebook leaks:

The person who originally had them said they are from the Ordinary Girl book photo shoot. And I have to agree. One shot has the same wig and in another you can see that it is the same outfit. 

[APR 28] The other "new" picture is from Germany and you can thank Guenter Lauke - the guy behind Family Tree. He was also working with Donna on something about her years in Germany. Sigh. 

[APR 28] In the world of covers, one of the American Idol Top 4 covered Donna's version of MacArthur Park. 

[APR 28] Brooklyn Sudano fans, she was on ABC's Body Of Proof recently. The episode is called Disappearing Act and you can watch it online on ABC's website. (Well US viewers can, I'm not sure about other countries. It wouldn't surprise me if the episode was region-locked.)

[APR 28] And that brings us to YouTube. I gave you all the RHOF clips in the lat updates, so let's go with Papa Can You Hear Me from the Oscars, a Madonna vs. Donna mashup called I'm A Fire/Burning Up, the Melody Of Love video, and another Madonna/Donna mashup called Secret/Spring Affair.

[APR 23] OK, for those of you who missed Facebook or the forum, we have more RHOF videos out there.  On YouTube look for Bruce's complete speech, Kelly Rowland's complete speech, and another copy of the film they used right before the speeches. And I just saw that Bad Girls and Last Dance (as performed by Jennifer Hudson) are up too. Put it all together and you got the whole thing.  :-)

[APR 21] Here's a quick addition to yesterday's update. Part of Bruce's speech has hit YouTube. It's the part where he thanks people - including the fan base.  :-)

[APR 20] Before I get started - kudos to the people of Boston both for the way you handled yourselves in the wake of the Boston Marathon, and for catching the guys so quickly! The lesson here is: Don't screw with Boston!  

[APR 20] So lets call this the weekly update, but who knows? I may have to come back again.  :-)  So, um... nothing at all happened this week. Nope, can't think of a single thing worth writing about.....   ;-)  I am teasing of course. Let's go back to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Where to start?  Pictures maybe? A search for Donna Summer at Getty Images or Wire Image will get you plenty to start with. A search for Sudano ay Getty Images or Wire Image will get you even more. And if you search at Getty Images or Wire Image  for Jennifer Hudson, you will see a whole bunch of her performing at the ceremony (some with the huge photo of Donna in the background!)  And of course a search for Kelly Rowland at Getty or WireImage will show you a whole bunch from the induction speech.  Thank you ladies for doing such a nice job in Donna's honor.  :-)

[APR 20] Oh it just occurred to me that some of you don't know who is who in the family pictures, and it doesn't help that some of the captions I have seen have been wrong.  If you look at any pictures of the four of them on stage  when Bruce made the speech, the family members are (from left to right): Brooklyn Sudano, Bruce Sudano, Mimi Sommer, and Amanda Sudano.

[APR 20] I know you want video, but that's a bit hard to come by at the moment. (The Rush fans seem to be the most active YouTubers at the moment. I think they just may be as vociferous as we are!  LOL) Right now there is a montage of performance clips from the ceremony, and a copy of the film they showed for Donna's induction. I know other things have been recorded by people - they just haven't found their way to the net yet. 

[APR 20] I did see a bit of Bruce's speech (eagerly awaiting a chance to see the whole thing!  LOL)  so I thought I'd share this part of what he said: And for those of you who have never seen a Donna Summer concert, well she was just something else. But she would take a crowd all the way up, and then she would take them all the way down to the intimacy of a really poignant moment. And then the next minute you'd be laughing hysterically because she was just such a funny girl. And then she would rock you. Then she'd take you to an inspirational moment - sing a gospel song. And then she'd just take you all the way out, and you'd leave that concert....  Sorry that's where my clip ended so I can't finish the sentence. But I agree wholeheartedly with every word.  :-)

[APR 20] And of course we have media coverage of the event. Let's just get some of those links up here for you.

Yahoo's article
K-Earth 101 (quotes from both speeches, but I wish they would have spelled Bruce's name right)
Boston Globe  (thanks for taking the time even though you had WAY more serious things going on over there)
Cleveland.com (part of a profile on all the inductees)
Cleveland.com (you can replay the live chat that was going on during the ceremony - this is the chat I followed on the night)
Boston.com
Today Show Entertainment Blog
Spin.com's 20 Coolest Tributes to the Class of 2013
Mercury.com's 11 Best Moments from the RHOF ceremony
A Writer In The World Blog (about Donna's worthiness of the RHOF)
WKSU ( a sampling of the class of 2013)

[APR 20] Oh I almost forgot. Christina Aguilera was scheduled to perform at the RHOF ceremony, but as you all know by now she was "mysteriously" a no-show.  Perez Hilton cracked the mystery - Christina was sick with a nasty upper respiratory bug. (All mysteries should be so easy to solve!)  If Christina Aguilera finds this - I hope you are feeling better.  :-)

[APR 20] And just a reminder - an edited version of the ceremony will air on HBO on May 18. (The ceremony went on for 5 hours, they pretty much HAVE to edit it.)

[APR 20] In other news, American Idol paid homage to Donna in their recent episode. They opened the show with the top 5 performing a medley of Donna songs. 

[APR 20] Those of you who were at the Crayons concerts may remember that when Donna performed Sand On My Feet, the photo on the screen behind her was one she had taken herself from the window of her Florida home. Well that home has now been sold. You can see a photo of the home with this article and more photos here. (Beautiful property!)

[APR 20] There is a movie called Food Fight that uses a song called You Got Me Believing written by Donna and Bruce. The song is performed by the Brooklyn Dreams. The movie is available on DVD in some countries already [Amazon UK] and is coming out soon in others. (The US release date is May 7  according to Amazon.) The film has some rather interesting reviews, so you might want to take a look at those. You can see the movie online here. Go to about 81:45 for the song.

[APR 20] And I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's go with a Rock Hall Of Fame theme this week. First up is Gallery Talk - a companion to the RHOF exhibit in Cleveland. Then we have a piece on the class of 2013,  a piece on the ceremony with a nice piece of Kelly Rowland's speech (that's at about :30),  and another VERY short piece on the RHOF.

[APR 18 again] It's official - Donna was just inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame minutes ago.  Let me give you what I have pieced together from social media, a live chat and a love blog. For those of you who follow me on Facebook - this is  just the same stuff I posted there. Let's start  with the ceremony. Kelly Rowland did the actually induction followed by emotional speech by Bruce. Then Jennifer Hudson rocked the house with Bad Girls and Last Dance. Christina Aguilera was apparently a no-show, and I don't know why yet.  (She probably got sick or something.)  That's the bare bones account of the induction. Now let me quote something from a live blog of the ceremony done by Hitfix.com: 

9:15: Donna Summer's being inducted, but we're missing it. Booker T. Jones is in the press room. I asked him his favorite Albert King memory: "My best memory was when I was asked to write for him. Jones and William Bell wrote the song, and Jones says he wasn't sure about it (how hard to believe it that?), until they got into the studio. "We started the first four bars and he played that guitar lick. I was 19 years old and there I was playing with a blues god." 

9:16: Summer's widower and his three daughters are accepting her award If Donna was here tonight, she's be gracious, she'd be funny, she was a very funny girl," he says, though adding she wasn't "very big on awards...She was about what's coming next," so much so that he could never get her to record a standards album. He thanks the fans for their "care and prayer" over the last year since Summer died, and, appropriately, all of the DJs, club and otherwise.

9:22: Kelly Rowland, who inducted Summer, just asked Flavor Flav for a clock. Man, you know he's going to grab that mic from Chuck D when Public Enemy's induction comes. "I need to know what time it is... " Jennifer Hudson, dressed in a glittery jumpsuit straight out of the disco era, and with big Summer-like hair, is singing "Bad Girls," although she seemingly forgot the words the second verse. She's now singing "Last Dance" to Flavor Flav who's about to hijack the proceedings. Hudson seems off her game.Christina Aguilera was supposed to perform as well, but she's a no show.

[APR 18] I have a couple of pictures for you to see too. First go to wireimage.com. As of right now, there are several pictures of Bruce and the girls taken when they arrived at the induction ceremony. (There may be more things up there by the time some of you see this.) Then we have this picture from Twitter of Jennifer Hudson performing. (Check out the enormous photo of Donna behind her!  :-) )  And then there is Johnnyswim's photo of I guess the program from the ceremony?  It's on their Twitter feed, and I'm just going to link you to their main feed because they may post more photos later. (They are into Instagram and the like.) The photo I'm talking about now is the one where they say they are so proud to be at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony. And just in case you can't view photos for any reason, I have to share the coolest thing about this picture. It's got this nice quote in big bold letters. It says: "Donna Summer. She could sing anything, anywhere, with anyone, at any time."  That quote made my night!  And with that - I'm signing off for the night (at least on the site) and I will be back on the weekend or sooner if I have more stuff to share. :-) 

[APR 18] Tonight's the night! In 12 hours (give or take) Donna will officially be a Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer!  If you are going to the show - make a lot of noise for our diva.  :-)  And if you aren't able to be there - blast those Donna tunes! Wake up the neighborhood!

[APR 14] Happy Sunday everybody! I hope all my American friends got their taxes done before the IRS comes to repossess all your Donna stuff!  ;-)   As I'm sure most of you know, Donna is officially inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame on Thursday. I still don't know who is actually going to make the speech that inducts her, but I hope it's somebody really great. (You know, Dick Clark would have been a great choice if he was still with us.  Sigh. I must be getting old. Too many celebrities I grew up watching are leaving us.) If you are going to the ceremony and would like to write a fan report - I'll publish anything you want to send.  :-)  Those of us who aren't going, will just have to be patient for another month until the show airs on HBO ( and those of us without HBO will just have to pester our friends who do have it!  LOL)

[APR 14] Donna's official twitter feed is back up and running and the same guys running Facebook and Pinterest are doing Twitter. So you will see some of the interactive stuff from Facebook make its way to Twitter. If you are a Twitter user, you will find the feed at @TheDonnaSummer.

[APR 14] I told you guys last week that Daeida.com has a great interview with Bob Conti. Well I just found out tonight that the guys at Daeida are having him autograph some of copies of the magazine and they will be available for purchase from the Daeida website. Now there will only be a limited number of autographed copies - but priority will be given to readers of this website and the Endless Summer forum.  So if you are ordering, tell them you heard about the magazine here.  :-)  (Thanks David - you guys are awesome over there!)

[APR 14] Let's move on to release news. The new compilation Icon is out now. [Amazon, Amazon UK] It's a budget greatest hits compilation that is a great introduction to Donna's music for the casual listener out there who sort of remembers her music but has only recently regained interest with the Rock Hall Of Fame, etc. And if one of you casual listeners is here now reading this - seriously grab this CD (or the MP3 album) and when you fall in love with the songs (because you WILL)  then go out and explore the regular albums. There are a lot of gems out there waiting for you to discover them.  (And then you will understand why we diehards are so sad that Donna left us so soon.)

[APR 14] Continuing with release news, there is a new CD from Epic called Playlist: The Very Best Of Donna Summer due out May 21. [Amazon, Amazon UK] And that's all we know about it. My guess is that being on a Sony imprint, they will draw heavily from Live & More Encore and Crayons.  So I'm thinking any of the hits that are normally on the Universal imprints will only be on this Epic release in their live Live & More Encore forms. But we'll see.

[APR 14] Let's go back to the Rock Hall Of Fame again. There is an interesting critique of the RHOF posted on the Montreal Gazette website. I don't know if I totally agree with what the author is saying, but it is an interesting point of view.

[APR 14] I think that brings us to YouTube. Look for Donna's first interview from ET, Donna's live cover of Pearls from Niagara Falls and from Westbury, an interview from Arsenio Hall's show, an unedited 2003 interview from Extra (it's almost 20 minutes long), and the Dinner With Gershwin video.

[APR 7]  Greetings all. It's April 7 which means you have 10 days to get in your Pages From The Heart Encore submissions.  :-) Also, I was giving some thought to May 17 and to Donna's legacy.  I know everyone is keeping Donna's musical legacy alive in their own ways - whether it's driving around the neighborhood with Donna tunes blasting so loud that the neighbors HAVE to listen (excuse me while I attempt to look innocent) or if you are just teaching your kids what real music is.   :-)  But I feel that Donna has another legacy as well.  She was a good person who tried to treat others well. And I would like to honor that legacy as well. So I propose that on May 17, we all do a random act of kindness in her memory.  It could be something like contributing to a charity, or helping an elderly neighbor do their shopping, bringing your significant other flowers for no reason, or even just saying a prayer for someone who needs it.  I leave the specifics to your abilities and imaginations.  Have fun with it.  :-)

[APR 7] Reminder for those of you in the LA area - Bruce will be performing Thursday (April 11) at 8 PM at Gengis Cohen. He'll be doing songs from his upcoming album so you may want to stuff a few tissues in your pockets just in case.  And if you are going, I'd love to hear all about it. I'll be happy to post fan reports. :-)   (That also goes for anyone hitting a Johnnyswim show - I am happy to post fan reports for them too. )

[APR 7] OK - on to Donna (sort of). Daeida.com  has done it again.  :-)  This time it's an interview with Bob Conti that talks a lot about touring with Donna back in the day. And of course the article wouldn't be complete without a bunch of never before seen photos.  :-)  I just got the email about this tonight, so I've only had the chance to skim it so far - but what I saw it making me eager to fully read the whole thing.

[APR 7] Also, Giorgio Moroder has also done a new interview. It's mainly about Daft Punk, but he does mention Donna briefly. (Look for that around 4:50)

[APR 7] Pinterest users: there is now an official Donna Summer Pinterest Page for you to check out. It is run by the same ones running the Facebook page. 

[APR 7] In the Donna is everywhere category (or at least her clothes are), the Rock Hall Of Fame in Cleveland has an exhibit running honoring this year's inductees. They have Donna's She Works Hard For The Money waitress outfit on display. If you are not in Cleveland, check out the photo here. (You know, it strikes me as funny that with all the gowns from all the years, our Ordinary Girl is honored with a waitress outfit. :-) )

[APR 7] NME has selected their list of the 10 best long songs in pop music. Donna is represented with Love To Love You.

[APR 7] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is a nice fan tribute set to I'm A Rainbow. Then look for a live clip of Dinner With Gershwin, Donna winning the AMA in 1979 for Best Disco Album, and a nice copy of the Grammy Medley with Kenny Rogers.

[APR 2] And now for the real Summer Fever Pick for this month: Live & More.

[APR 1] Well it's a little early for me, but somewhere in the world it's already April 1 so it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This time we are taking a break from chronological order to bring you an upcoming tribute called A Moment Of Silence.

[MAR 30] Happy Passover/Easter/Weekend everyone!  I'm a day early because I have people coming over tomorrow and for some strange reason they think it's rude if I sit there updating the site.  ;-) I will be back Monday April 1 with the new Summer Fever Pick too.

[MAR 30] In Rock Hall Of Fame news, more performers have been announced - but there is still no news about Donna's part of the ceremony other than that Jennifer Hudson and Christina Aguilera will be performing.  We still don't know who is actually inducting Donna and if any of the family will be performing in any capacity. The ceremony takes place on April 18, so hopefully more news will be coming soon. 

[MAR 30] Facebookers, if you haven't yet, you will want to check out The Official Donna Summer page. It's becoming quite interactive with trivia questions, posts that encourage discussion, and of course video and photo postings.  Examples of recent postings are a photo where you and invited to guess the year it was taken, the question "what do you consider to be the rarest Donna track?", and a trivia question asking which candy bar was Donna's favorite. It even posted one of the equal love graphics that have been taking over Facebook lately. That was nice to see.  So the page is a good mix of serious and frivolous and there is something new posted practically every day.  :-)

[MAR 30] That will bring us to YouTube. Look for a nice clip of Anyway At All,  a clip of This Time I Know It's For Real (from European TV I think - the set looks familiar but I can't quite place it), and a vintage profile clip also from Europe with studio footage from Four Seasons Of Love. There are some interview clips in that in which Donna is speaking German, but a French translation dubbed over it. There is also MacArthur Park from Night Of Proms, Dinner With Gershwin from probably European TV, and a German interview from about the time of the Quincy Jones album. (Well, it starts off in German. Then an Italian interview clip is tacked on at the end.)

[MAR 24] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him performing in Los Angeles on April 11 at 8 PM at Gengis Cohen. He will be debuting songs from his forthcoming album, so if you are going I want to hear all about it!   :-)

[MAR 24] Brooklyn Sudano has been added to the cast of the new pilot, Westside which will air on ABC. No word yet on an airdate, so just keep an eye on the local listings.

[MAR 24] In release news, the Disco Tribute to Donna Summer is available at Amazon US now.  It features 14 covers of Donna's hits by Linda Clifford, Carol Douglas, Thelma Houston, France Joli, Maxine Nightingale and Anita Ward. Nothing against any of these ladies (in fact I enjoy their music too), but this compilation just made me sad. (It probably doesn't help that I was working on Pages From The Heart Encore and was already in a strange mood.)  They are not Donna, and hearing them sing Donna's songs just made me miss her. Having said that, I do appreciate that they did the tribute.

[MAR 24] That brings us to YouTube. This week we have Patrice's extended version of Now I Need You, the Ego Troopers live edit of I Feel Love, a very short clip of the audience singing With A Little Help From My Friends with Donna, Stor Dubine's video for I Got Your Love, and a classic live clip of The Impossible Dream.

[MAR 17] Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! If you still have some celebrating to do, remember to raise a glass to Donna's memory. It's been 10 months. (I can't believe how fast the time is going by!)

[MAR 17] Speaking of Donna's memory, Bruce posted some lyrics from his upcoming album Angels On A Carousel.  The song he posted is called Beautiful History and the lyrics go (in part): Beautiful history/ That’s what remains/ For all the world to see/ A beautiful history/ One for the ages/ Born of you and me. You will have to friend him on Facebook to see the rest. I have to say that I am both eagerly awaiting and seriously dreading the new cd.  I know it's going to be really good, but I also think it's going to be really hard to listen to.

[MAR 17] Slant Magazine posted their list of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs. There are a lot of good songs on the list (and some I don't particularly care for), but of particular interest are numbers 46, 10 and..... number 1!  :-) (Hmmmm... I wonder what those three could have in common?)

[MAR 17] For those needing a little Summer fix, here is a really good 2008 interview promoting Crayons. (It actually covers her whole career, it's just that it was done because Crayons was being released.)

[MAR 17] RockPaperPhoto.com specializes in fine art photos of music legends. They have a number of prints of Donna available for sale. The prints are not cheap, but they are archival quality.

[MAR 17] Just for fun, one of you guys emailed me with a dream list of performers who should pay tribute to Donna at the Rock  Hall Of Fame Ceremony. This is his list:

1- Bruce Springsteen singing "Protection"
2- Rod Stewart singing "Dim All the Lights"
3- Chaka Khan & Patti LaBelle singing "Enough is Enough"
4- Madonna or Red Hot Chili Peppers singing "I Feel Love"
5- Beyonce singing "Love to Love You"
6- Cher singing "Hot Stuff"
7- Bono with her family singing "State of Independence"
8- Emmy Lou Harris singing "On the Radio"
9- Christina Aguilera singing "Bad Girls"
10- Jennifer Hudson singing Donna's favorite "There Will Always be a You"

He asked which of those I'd choose. Naturally I picked the only answer that made any sense to me: ALL OF THEM! (Yeah, I know they only have a certain amount of time to dedicate to Donna's part of the ceremony. But we could easily make time for all of these performers by just kicking out the other inductees.....   ;-)  Ok rock fans, before you come after me to kill me,, I WAS kidding!) What do you guys think? Who would you pick? And since this fantasy time (since we'd have heard by not if ANY of those people were involved in any part of the ceremony) you can pick anybody you want - living or dead.

[MAR 17] How about a little Johnnyswim news? Those two have been working their butts off lately. And it's paying off.  :-) They will be featured in the April-May 2013 music edition of Garden And Guns Magazine that comes out soon. Hopefully the article will make the magazine's website too.

[MAR 17] That brings us to the videos for the week. First up, a nice copy of the tribute they used at Divas 2013. And while I'm bopping around Vimeo, remember this clip of La Vie En Rose? Or this one from the WKTU concert in 2003? And here's another In Memoriam clip. Then we have Mimi's Song from the Music For Unicef Concert, Fame and Last Dance live in Berlin, Try A Little Tenderness with Joss Stone, and on YouTube we have a little of the State Of Independence recording sessions (the all-star choir). 

[MAR 10] Another Sunday, another update.  :-)  We're just about a month away from the Rock Hall Of Fame induction ceremony and quite frankly my curiosity is starting to get the better of me.  We know that Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson will be performing. What we don't know yet is WHO will actually make the induction speech. Usually they try to pick somebody who worked with the inductee, or somebody who was heavily influenced by them. So I'm dying to know who they are gonna get.  :-)  I'm also wondering if they will get some of the family up on the stage to perform. I said on Facebook it would be really cool if they could get Barbra Streisand to do Enough Is Enough with Mary, but somehow I don't see Barbra being at the Rock Hall Of Fame.  (The head-bangers would have a FIT! LOL)

[MAR 10] In release news, Universal is putting out a new greatest hits collection on April 9 called Icon. Right now Barnes & Noble is the only place that is showing the cover art, but the album will be available at all the usual vendors. As far as the track list goes, it's the usual 11 hits. No surprises. It's definitely geared to the casual fan. 

[MAR 10] There is a really nice story about Donna on  the Playboy Stories blog, told by a guy who hung out with her back in Munich.

[MAR 10] Johnnyswim fans: as you know they played at Bluegrass Underground last week and the show was taped for use on PBS next month some time.  What I didn't realize until they started posting pictures was how cool that venue is. It's a cave! A real honest to God cave. Check the photos on their blog. 

[MAR 10] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up, here's a blast from the past: Dueling Divas. (I haven't seen that show in ages!) There there is No More Tears from 2009, Jandry's video remix of Last Dance, and his mix of Say Something Nice,  and a Musik Laden clip of She Works Hard For The Money.

[MAR 4] I forgot to mention last night that Donna has a new official Facebook page. The official links above now point to the new page.  :-)

[MAR 3] Happy Sunday. First thing first - I fixed the link for the Summer Fever Pick. (Oops!)  It should be working now.

[MAR 3] Second - thank you to all of you who have contributed to my Walk for MS. I have reached my $500 goal which means I am ditching my team uniform in favor of a Donna t-shirt. My team captain is so pleased that she said she'd even pose for pics with me at the walk.  (Just remember that the camera adds about... umm 100 lbs.  ;-)  In person I'm so skinny that you can't even see me.  LOL ) Of course just because I reached my goal doesn't mean that I won't accept more donations. MS is not a nice disease and if we can give it a good kick in the butt, that would be great.  :-)

[MAR 3] Okay - on to Donna. As most of you probably know by now, she was not included in the Oscars In Memoriam segment (although she did make the online gallery.) . That's actually not too surprising. They skipped a few other people who probably had a bigger claim to the spot than Donna did.  It seems to be an Oscar tradition to skip somebody each year.  Deadline.com has a whole list of people they skipped this year.

[MAR 3] Speaking of Oscars, Forbes had a list of the best Oscar winning songs.  Last Dance is right there.  :-) The songs are listed chronologically so look for Last Dance in the middle of the page under 1976 instead of 1978.  Sorry Barbra. (Her song, Evergreen was the real 1976 winner.)

[MAR 3] In a similar vein, AfterElton.com has a list of the 10 best songs from terrible movies. Last Dance is #4 on that list. (I have to disagree on two counts. First of all, Last Dance should be #1 and second of all, TGIF isn't terrible, it's a bit of lighthearted fun. And I still have find memories of seeing it in the theater when it came out ad the whole place erupting in applause when Donna walked onscreen the first time. Where's my time machine? I want to go back and relive it!)

[MAR 3] Johnnyswim fans - catch them live in Tennessee this month, in Nashville on March 6, Chattanooga on March 7, McMinnville on March 8, then they head out to Austin, TX March 16.  Full details are on Johnnyswim.com.  Now here's an interesting thing about the Chattanooga show - it will be taped. And the recording will be aired on local radio and local public television.   :-)

[MAR 3] Taihisha fans, you will be thrilled to know she is featured on two new tracks, The first is Neal Conway's Choices, and the other is Blackliquid's Searchin'.  Both are available on traxsource.com and both have mixes available as well.

[MAR 3] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Friends Unknown at the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, This Time I Know It's For Real from Arsenio,  and a 14 minute Disconet Medley.  This one isn't new, but it makes me smile every time I see it because they are having so much fun: Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic.  (Seriously - have you ever seen anybody have more fun on stage? I love that clip!!!)

[MAR 2] It's a new month and that means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. Continuing in chronological order, it's time for Once Upon A Time.   :-) (The timing is actually working out pretty well - next up will be Live & More and then Bad Girls. That will have us celebrating the most famous albums as Donna takes her place in the Rock Hall Of Fame.  :-) )

[FEB 24] Happy Oscar night everyone! For those of you who are tuning in like I am, I saw a time table for the show that indicates that the In Memoriam segment should start shortly before 11:00 ET - not that I am expecting much.  The Oscars have been known to omit people that you would have thought for certain would be there. So if Donna gets mentioned at all, it will be a very pleasant surprise. (Well, pleasant is probably not the best word to use - I still find it sad to be hoping for mentions in an In Memoriam segment. Sigh.)

[FEB 24] Let's start with Bruce Sudano. He has announced on Facebook that he will have an album out later this year called With Angels On A Carousel that will feature songs written during Donna's last year.  He has very generously shared one song that he wrote shortly after she passed... no wait, Bruce said after she LEFT and I think I like that word better.  This isn't a final album version, this is just Bruce and his guitar singing into the computer. It's very raw and you will want to have a box of tissues handy.  (Which means if you are reading this at work, you might want to wait until you are home to play the track.) The song is called Holding On And Letting Go, and you can find it on Soundcloud. 

[FEB 24] There is a new Donna Summer forum out there geared to those of you who speak French.  You can find it here.  :-)

[FEB 24] If you were watching VH1's Mob Wives and thought you might have heard a fair of familiar voices... you are not insane. (Okay, maybe you ARE insane, but you weren't imaging things. ;-) )  The February 19 episode used Johnnyswim's song Heart Beats. You can watch the episode here, or you can just sneak over to iTunes and buy the song. (Actually buy the whole EP. You wouldn't want that one little track to be lonely, would you? )

[FEB 24] That brings us to YouTube. First up is a killer clip of Donna singing Superstar, then there is Donna's episode of Behind The Music, an instrumental of Last Dance, and a bunch of mixes/mashups from Bruno.  (Those are probably not suitable for a lot of workplaces - the music is accompanied by lots of big burly male eye candy.) OK - I am off to watch the Oscars. :-)

[FEB 17] February 17.... that makes 9 months. It feels like both an eternity and an instant.  I have about 30 submissions so far for Pages From The Heart Encore, but there is always room for more. The deadline is April 17, so if you haven't written yet, you better get started.  :-)

[FEB 17] Let's start with some release news. Amazon UK has Giorgio Moroder's On The Groove Train Vol 2 available for preorder. (The release date is March 4.)  This one has an unedited version of Virgin Mary, Denver Dream and Something's In The Wind.  I imagine it will make its way over to the US site too eventually.  :-)

[FEB 17] The 2013 Art On Ice show did a tribute to Donna and Robin Gibb. They used a brief clip of Donna singing La Vie En Rose and then after playing some Bee Gees they switched to some uptempo Donna clips. It was really sweet and unexpected, and it broke my heart.

[FEB 17] We have a new memorial website out there with a bunch of audio, video and photos. Warning if you are checking it out at work - the site will play music as soon as you open it up.

[FEB 17] The Grammy's were last weekend and Donna made the In Memoriam segment. She was the third person they showed, and they used an unusual clip from the Merv Griffin Show. You can see the segment here.

[FEB 17] For those who haven't seen it, there is a picture of the cover of the Life Magazine Farewell edition on this blog. 

[FEB 17] That brings us to YouTube. First up is a lovely tribute to Donna by Holland's Ruth Jacott.  Then we have a 9 minute concert clip from 2010,  Could It Be Magic from 2010, a mini documentary with quotes from a number of people, and a TV clip of Wasted.

[FEB 10] Happy Chinese New Year! Who ordered all the snow for the celebration? (Whoever it is can come finish shoveling out my driveway!  LOL)  It is also Grammy night. Unfortunately I'm not expecting much in the way of a tribute - but if something happens whole I'm updating I'll mention it.

[FEB 10] First up is Nathan DiGesare. He revamped his website and has included a bunch of photos and videos from the various tours he did with Donna. He's also got a really sweet video tribute to the children of Sandy Hook Elementary. He's got a YouTube channel too - although I think most of the stuff there is linked on his site. 

[FEB 10] The Washington Post reprinted a 1978 article shortly after we lost Donna. It's an interesting read.

[FEB 10] In the Donna is everywhere category, check out the NAACP Image Awards site.  One of the large pictures on top (the second one in the series of scrolling images) is of Gladys Knight singing for the In Memoriam segment. Donna's photo is posted on the screen beside her.

[FEB 10] I think that brings us to YouTube. Look for a 2001 clip of On The Radio from The Netherlands, Last Dance from a 2011 gala, a very brief clip of Dim All The Lights from 1985 filmed at Disneyland, Love To Love You from The Midnight Special, Anyway At All from the Tonight Show, and Hot Stuff from a 2008 UK TV appearance.

[FEB 3] Happy Sunday guys.   :-) Let's jump right in with the new issue of Daeida Magazine. It has an interview with director Brian Grant - the guy behind the She Works Hard For The Money video and the Hot Summer Night HBO special. They have a number of rare photos from the SWHFTM video shoot. (And after you read that article, keep flipping pages - there are a number of interesting non-articles too.) For those who have never used the Daeida site before, just click "current issue" and then when it loads up, click the arrows on the page edges to flip forward or backwards, and click the middle of the screen to expand to full-screen mode. (That is essential if you want to actually read the words.  :-) ) You can also click again to zoom in more - very handy if you are using a smaller device.

[FEB 3] Last night the NAACP Awards aired. They had Gladys Knight sing The Way We Were as they ran the  "In Memoriam" montage. Of course Donna was included in the montage. Sigh. You can watch the segment on YouTube, but the quality isn't the best.

[FEB 3] Facebook fans will be pleased to learn that Donna's page has surpassed 200k likes. 

[FEB 3] So, many of you know that Donna has a few grandchildren and to the surprise of absolutely no one, they seem to have inherited some of the family talent. Vienna has stepped out with her own YouTube page where you can hear her singing. But, I would like to remind you guys though she obviously has parental permission to have the page, she is still a minor. So just keep that in the back of your mind if you interact with her over there.  :-)

[FEB 3] That brings us to YouTube. First up is clip from The Doctors about lung cancer in non-smokers. For something way more fun, check out On The Radio with some enthusiastic "back up singers". Then there is a behind the scenes 2005 tour video courtesy of Nathan DiGesare (some funny stuff there!)  Could It Be Magic from Don Kirchner's Rock Concert (try to ignore the annoying watermarks), the Glen Rivera Restructured version of I'm Free, an audio version of The Star Spangled Banner, Anyway At All from the Tonight Show, and finally a clip from November of Tony Moran playing Valley Of The Moon during his set.  On a side note, someone asked me earlier if I thought Donna could have another dance hit. And you know, if the right song came out of the vaults, I'm sure the DJs would get behind it and we would see some action on the Club Play charts. DJs love Donna - for good reason.  :-)

[FEB 3] The deadline for Pages From The Heart is April 17 - there is plenty of room for more contributions!  :-)

[FEB 3] And finally on a personal note - thanks to all who have donated to my MS Walk so far. I'm about halfway to ditching my team shirt in favor of a Donna shirt.  ;-)  My team captain is blown away by your support - so am I.  :-)

[FEB 1] So it's February 1 and you all know what that means. It means tomorrow the groundhog will tell us if Spring is near. But more importantly than that, it means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month, I Remember Yesterday.   :-) 

[FEB 1] And while I am here, the BBC is celebrating the Golden Age of the Album. And one of the things they are doing is asking Radio 2 listeners to vote for their favorite out of a list of albums. Bad Girls is on the list.  :-) They will announce the results of the poll on a special Easter countdown. I'll be back Sunday with the regular update.  :-)

[JAN 27] I've gotten a few more entries for Pages From The Heart Encore, but there is always room for more! The deadline is April 17, so get writing.  :-)  (And for the record, I know for a fact that the family appreciates all the messages they've gotten from fans.  They will appreciate these messages just as much.  :-) )

[JAN 27] Rock Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony tickets go on sale to members  tomorrow, and to the rest of us on February 1. They will be on sale through Ticketmaster and as you can expect there will be several price levels ranging from $75 up to $750, or there are packages that come with other perks. Those go for $550 to $2000. You can read about those here. The ceremony takes place April 18 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

[JAN 27] More details about the Hall Of Fame ceremony have come out.  Some of the performers have been announced and they have said that Christia Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson will be the lucky two who get to induct Donna.  Now I already know from reading the forums that some of you are excited by the selection of those 2 performers, and some of you are dismayed by the selection. Personally, I KNOW nobody can sing Donna's songs like the lady herself. So with that in mind, I will be happy to see a performance that captures the feel-good spirit of a Donna Summer concert. I think a worthy tribute should remind us that we can sing if we wanna sing and dance if we wanna dance. (Although I suspect many of us may feel more like crying a few happy/sad tears.)

[JAN 27] I have a personal announcement. I will once again be raising money for Walk MS. If I get the day off I'll be walking May 5 at Belmont Lake State Park (sadly Jones Beach's boardwalk got too trashed during Sandy to host the walk this year), and if I don't get the day off, I'll be walking in spirit (which will do nothing to drop some pounds off my overly large butt... but I digress.  ;-) ) This year for the first time (for obvious reasons), I will be walking in Donna's memory. (Actually, since May 17 ALL my charitable donations have been in Donna's memory, this is just the first one that made the site.) If you would like to support me, the link is here.  No pressure though - it's not like I will send Ken's Van Of Vicious Drag Queens after you if you don't donate.  ;-)  I'll tell you what though - if I get $500 worth of donations by May 5, instead of wearing my team's shirt, I'll go rogue and wear a Donna t-shirt - Team CVan will have to get over it.  ;-)

[JAN 27] That brings us to YouTube. Look for the Love Is In Contol video where sharp-eyed viewers will spot a special guest appearance by Amanda Sudano Ramirez playing the bulge in Donna's belly  ;-) (Did I make you feel old?  LOL) There is also a Glen Rivera Restructured mix of Autumn Changes, MacArthur Park from Night Of Proms, a clip of She Works Hard For The Money, and an unusual mashup of New Order, The Temptations and Donna's I Feel Love. 

[JAN 20] OK, it's been 8 months since we lost Donna and that means we REALLY have to get serious now about Pages From The Heart Encore. I'd like to make the deadline April 17 So that I have lots of time to put it all together and get it to Bruce in time or May 17.  I've suggested sharing your favorite Donna memory, you could also tell the family what Donna means to you, you could share how she impacted your life, you could talk about what you have done to carry on her legacy, you could even just ramble on about how awesome your favorite song is.  My only real requirement is that you speak from the heart.  Donna was very touched by the original Pages From The Heart and I was told she even kept it on display in her office at one time.  I'd really love to have something just as special for Bruce and the girls.  They had to share Donna with us for so many years, this is our chance to thank them for that.

[JAN 20] For those in the Los Angeles area (or those who plan to be) Rock Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony  tickets go on sale February 1 or January 28 if you are a member. (If I recall, that's a change - I think originally tickets were slated to go onsale January 25.) For more details, see the Rock Hall Of Fame site.

[JAN 20] There is really not a whole lot going on right now. It's the lull before the Rock Hall Of Fame craziness.  So you are gonna have to get your Donna fix from YouTube this week.  We have a Winter Melody tribute to Donna, a clip of I Don't Wanna Get Hurt, an instrumental edit called Now I'm Working The Midnight Shift And I Need You, a fan video for If It Makes You Feel Good, a clip of The Hostage, and the video for I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (with no Donna in sight.)

[JAN 20] I almost had a Donna is everywhere item for you, but I seem to be suffering from a case of CRS... Can't Remember Stuff.  ;-)  I was channel surfing this week and landed briefly on some vintage repeat of something where they had a bunch of guys doing a bit of a parody of The Full Monty to Hot Stuff.  I can't remember what show it was, and I didn't see enough of it to know why they were doing their version of The Full Monty, but I sure as heck hear Hot Stuff loud and clear.  :-) 

[JAN 20] Let's move on to Johnnyswim.  UK - you have YOUR chance to see the pair live in concert.  (Don't pass it up - you never know when we greedy American fans will be generous enough to let them leave the country again.  ;-) ) Catch them January 30 in Dublin Ireland at Vicar Street, on January 31 in Belfast at Mandela Hall,  on February 1 in Glasgow Scotland at Barrowland, February 2 in Manchester England at HMV Ritz and February 4 in London at o2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. After that, we're taking them back! And they will be in Nashville on February 16 at NACA at the Nashville Convention Center, March 8 in McMinnville, TN at Bluegrass Underground, March 12 to 17 in Austin, TX and  May 31 in Charleston, SC.  You can keep up with all their dates at Johnnyswim.com and if you have the chance to see any of their shows - GO!  They are not to be missed.  :-)

[JAN 13] Happy birthday to my mom who turned 70 today. No wait, make that 30. She said at 50 you can start counting backwards.  ;-)

[JAN 13] PressAcademy.com has an article written at the time of Donna's passing with  quotes from her long-time publicist.

[JAN 13] In the Donna is everywhere category, she was the answer to a question on Jeopardy  recently. (Oh wait, since it's Jeopardy I should say she was the question to their answer.) The answer was: Disco Queen we lost in May along with Robin Gibb. Unfortunately none of us was on the panel so the 3 replies were "Who is Diana Ross?", "Who is Whitney Houston?", and a blank stare.  Sigh. 

[JAN 13] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, One of the Miss America contestants used Last Dance for the talent competition. She twirled batons to the song. I'm not even sure what to say about that - I never thought of Last Dance as a baton twirling song? 

[JAN 13] For those of you who like Pandora, they have a Donna Summer Radio station.

[JAN 13] That brings us to YouTube. Remember the guy who has been posting high quality  2008 concert clips? Well, he's added Hard For The Money, and Sand On My Feet.  Then we have the Tonight Show performance of Hard For The Money (complete with waitress outfit), and a video of the year end issue of Hello Magazine. And finally, I know this isn't really Donna, but it's been awhile since it popped up and it's cute.

[JAN 6] There's not much going on with the holidays and everything, but there have been a few more 2012 retrospective articles. IBTimes has an article about the musicians who passed, and Houston's Culture Map has an article on singers who passed (with video clips). The Detroit Free Press posted a list of the top 10 most searched people on Google - Donna is #10.

[JAN 6] TVOne's show Unsung recorded a special about disco. On the page for the show, they pose the question, which disco artist should have an Unsung episode of their own?  If you look at the comments, a lot of people are asking for Donna.   :-)

[JAN 6] Not surprisingly, Pinterest has a whole bunch of Donna things pinned by various people. My favorite is this picture - the glasses are too much!  LOL

[JAN 6] And here's one from May 18: Black America Web has a nice article honoring Donna.

[JAN 6] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Could It Be Magic from possibly New Year's Rockin' Eve 1977. (I'm not 100% sure if I got the show right - it's been a long time since I saw that clip in context.) There is also a record promo clip, MacArthur Park from the 2008 tour (yup, another great quality one!), People Magazine's year end issue (someone videotaped the magazine and read  the tribute to Donna outloud), Last Dance from the Midnight Special (with a little interview intro), the video for The Woman In Me (crystal clear!),  and a birthday tribute to Donna that uses that really awesome "curtain call" picture from the NY Times Magazine.

[JAN 1] The new Summer Fever pick is up. I'm back to chronological order with Four Seasons Of Love.  :-)

[JAN 1] I have to say last night was a bit surreal. I worked until about 9, so by the time I got home and turned on the TV (because that's the sort of party animal I am!  LOL) the early part of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve was in full swing. It was very strange to tune in and see Dick Clark standing there in Times Square like he used to before the stroke. I also didn't realize when I turned it on that they were counting down the top 30 artists that American Bandstand introduced to the public. (Or something like that - I never saw the beginning where they explained what they were doing.)  I just know that I looked up from updating my Facebook status to hear someone say that Donna was the only person other than Dick Clark to host American Bandstand. Then a big #5 popped up on the screen and they showed clips of Donna hosting.  That was a really nice surprise.  :-)

[DEC 30] Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping 2013 is a better year (and here's hoping 2012 leaves peacefully without causing any more harm. ) As you know, tomorrow would have been Donna's 64th birthday, so while you are celebrating the holiday - don't forget to drink a toast to our favorite Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer.  :-)

[DEC 30] Keep an eye on DonnaSummer.com - I believe the message there will be changing soon.

[DEC 30] Being the end of the year, all the media outlets are doing their year end recaps - including lists of those we have lost.  I caught one on NBC this morning, and damn there were a lot of people!  NBC's site has a slideshow  of the 2012 losses, ABC has a video from Katie Couric's show, Billboard has their tribute to those we lost, and AOL has a tribute to Donna. Then if you want to see a REALLY cool tribute, check out the NY Times Magazine.  I want to shake that guys hand! I love it.  :-)

[DEC 30] Huffington Post has not 1 but 2 articles about Donna. The first is a celebration of  her career with a look at a number of songs that didn't hit the top 10 (or in some cases were never released as singles.) And I have to say that any list (not compiled by one of us that is) that starts with If There Is Music There has got to be worth looking at.  :-) The other article is a look back at Donna's fashion style over the years.

[DEC 30] Headlinesurfer.com has posted their top 10 stories for 2012.  Donna's obituary was reposted as #10 on the list.

[DEC 30] Don't forget that KDVS in Davis, CA will be doing a special birthday tribute to Donna from 9:30 to noon Pacific time tomorrow (December 31).  If you can't tune in on the radio, tune in online. 

[DEC 30] I think that brings us to YouTube. We have a new fan video of a song found on Soundcloud (I hate to say more because I don't want to get anyone in trouble), but check it out anyway along with his other video of a song that got played on OutQ once. There is also a cool old video for Could It Be Magic (I love that at some point the lip syncing to the record just stops for awhile), and an excellent clip of Last Dance from the 2008 tour. I will be back with the new Summer Fever pick on the 1st. (Assuming the 1st ever comes. I don't think the New Year can officially come without Dick Clark?) And once again, if you are out drinking for the New Year, please please please do NOT drive. You don't want to start the New Year in a hospital - or worse. 

[DEC 22] Happy Holidays everyone! The E-Greetings page is up and I will be emailing the link to Bruce tomorrow night.  Thanks to all who contributed, especially since I know many of you did so with a heavy heart. 

[DEC 22] So since the year is wrapping up, various magazines and websites are posting their versions of a year in review. Of course that includes coverage of the people we've lost. One of those is 1und1.de. Then there is The Day, Breitbart.com and Slate.com.

[DEC 22] We also have a new tribute from Nile Rodgers - a very nice read!

[DEC 22] Divas 2012 was last weekend and I thought they did a better tribute than we've seen so far.  They started off with a nice montage of clips of Donna performing and talking. I'm sure a better copy of this will turn up on YouTube eventually, but you can see a fan filmed copy here. After that Kelly Rowland, Keri Hilson and Adam Lambert did a selection of Donna's hits. They updated the arrangements of the songs to make them more in keeping with the rest of the show.  This is where opinion gets divided. Some people absolutely hated the performance part of the tribute and others loved it. Personally, while nothing beats an actual Donna Summer performance, I really appreciated that the 3 performers all seemed to have fun with the music. And I think that fun element has been missing from other tributes.

[DEC 22] Just a reminder, KDVS in Davis, CA will be doing a special birthday tribute to Donna from 9:30 to noon (Pacific time of course) on December 31.  Split P tells me that Donna "deserves a kicking tribute" - and I have to agree wholeheartedly.  :-) And he says that he will be focusing on rare remixes of the dance tracks. You can catch the stream online if you are out of their broadcast area.

[DEC 22] In chart news, The Journey  was #6 on Billboard's catalog album chart for the week of December 16.  :-) 

[DEC 22] I think that brings us to the web. This week we have Philippe's I Feel Love tribute to Donna, Tony Blass' tribute to Donna, a really good clip of Dim All The Lights from the Crayons tour, and from the same show:  Bad Girls/Hot Stuff,  Stamp Your Feet,  and I Feel Love.

[DEC 22] I will be back next weekend. I hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday season. And remember if youare gonna be drinking, don't drive!  :-)

[DEC 15] First things first, my thoughts are prayers are with those poor people in Connecticut. I can't even comprehend the sort of twisted mind that would think it was a good idea to go shoot up an elementary school. I can't even imagine how horrible it must be to be a parent of one of the lost children, or even of the survivors. How do you explain to a young child that some maniac murdered their classmates and teachers? (I can't even understand, and I'm an adult.)  My thoughts are prayers are also with the families in China whose children were stabbed at their school by another maniac. 

[DEC 15] On to lighter things. I am doing the update a day early because tomorrow is Divas 2012 and I plan to watch the tributes to Donna and Whitney.  (By the way, I'd like to thank the Whitney Houston fans for the support they've shown - particularly when it came to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame voting.) According to the VH1 site, Donna's tribute will be a medley of songs performed by Adam Lambert, Kelly Rowland and Keri Hilson.  (Check out what Adam Lambert had to say about Donna here.) For those wondering about the Whitney tribute, that will also be a medley and it will be sing by Jordin Sparks, Ledisi, and Melanie Finoa. I hope they all make us proud.  :-)  

[DEC 15] The other big news for the week is the Rock Hall Of Fame. (Donna Summer, Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer - pardon me while I do my happy dance again!  LOL) As always there are a whole bunch of articles about the induction list. Here are a few:

Boston  Herald
Boston Herald (again)
Inquisitr.com
Reuters
Hitfix.com (more about the other inductees, but they use Donna's photo)
Salon.com
Boston.com
Vibe
SoulTracks.com
And about a billion more....

For those interested in attending the induction ceremony, the event will be held in Los Angeles and the tickets will go on sale January 25 at rockhall.com.

[DEC 15] Out Magazine posted its list of "Christmas Albums You Won't Be Embarrassed To Own." Obviously there has been a HUGE MISTAKE as Christmas Spirit was omitted from the list. I'll TRY not to hold it against the magazine, but it's going to be very difficult. So if you see me glaring evilly at a magazine rack, you know why.  ;-)

[DEC 15] Yahoo has posted its year in obituaries. They have a really cool photo of Donna to go with her article. 

[DEC 15] Noise11.com has a very short article in which Jon Anderson mentions that We Are The World was written during the sessions for State Of Independence. 

[DEC 15] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Look for a rare early collaboration with Veit Marvos called Time Can't Take It Away. (Listen to the backing vocals - particularly at the end of the song. There  is NO mistaking the vocalist!) There is also an interesting video showing Donna's vocal range. Then we have MacArthur Park from the Art On Ice Show a couple years ago, the Hall Of Fame announcement, a news story on Donna's Hall Of Fame induction, Be Myself Again live (excellent quality - but still hard to watch), Bad Girls/ Hot Stuff from the Nobel Peace Prize concert, and finally for something a little strange, a mashup called I Feel Gangnam Love. 

[DEC 15] Please have your E-Greetings for Bruce in by Saturday so I can finish up the page and get it to him in time for Christmas. (That's of course assuming the world doesn't really end on Friday. It BETTER not - that's my day off! I don't want to work all week just to have the world end on a day I can enjoy myself! Those stupid Mayans should have checked with me first!  ;-) )  You can send them to me at webmaster AT donna-tribute.com or chawk25619 AT aol.com.  Thanks  :-)  And if the world does end - well , it's been fun.  :-)

[DEC 11] I'm back again to let you know that Donna's official website has been updated with a new message from the family about the Rock Hall Of Fame induction.   :-)  Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer: Donna Summer. I REALLY like the sound of that!

[DEC 11] And while I am here, after quite a bit of thought, I have decided to postpone Pages From The Heart Encore until the anniversary of Donna's loss. I have something like 20 submissions already, but I know there can (and will) be a lot more - it's just that people are still struggling with the loss.  On May 17, it seemed like the holidays were a million years away - plenty of time to adjust, right? Six months really isn't that long when you are looking back at it. So I think May 2013 will be a better deadline.

[DEC 11] Now while Pages is being postponed, I am still going full steam ahead on the E-Greetings for Bruce. (Like it or not, he's inherited US from Donna.  LOL) I only have  a handful of those so far, so get writing! Christmas is right around the corner!! (Oh God, have I finished all my shopping yet?  Oh no and I haven't even started thinking about my cards yet! Excuse me while I go panic for awhile now.  ;-) )

[DEC 10] I lied yesterday. I said I would have an update for you tomorrow, but that's just not true. But I think you will forgive me because the update I was going to make about the Rock Hall Of Fame announcements tomorrow is actually happening right now.  :-)  Every year there manages to be an early leak about someone. This year's early leak says.... are you ready?  After all these years, Donna is FINALLY a Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee!  Set off the fireworks! Turn up the dance tunes! Make so much noise that God himself has to tell Donna that her fans are nuts!  ;-)  Here are a couple of quotes to go with the celebrations:

"We are overjoyed the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame has recognized Donna's tremendous musical achievements. Its an honor we know she quietly hoped for and would very much cherish. We are deeply grateful." - The Family of Donna Summer 

The family cannot fully express the gratitude they feel for the outpouring of love received over the past few months in support of Donna's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. From fellow recording artists and industry executives to friends and fans from around the world, it will not be forgotten. - Brian Edwards, Enter Talking Client Relations

The induction ceremony takes place April 18 in Los Angeles. 

[DEC 9] In addition to Pages From The Heart submissions, I am also taking E-Greetings for Bruce and the family. I will accept those right up until about December 22.

[DEC 9] Let's start with the Rock Hall Of Fame. The list of inductees will be announced Tuesday December 11 at 11 AM Pacific Time.  I'll be at work then, but I will have an update that night one way or the other. (All fingers and toes crossed that it really happens this time!)

[DEC 9] Mark your calendars - KDVS in Davis, CA will be playing all Donna for a couple of hours on December 31 from 9:30 to noon. It's a special birthday tribute and it streams online. 

[DEC 9] And while we are marking calendars, don't forget that Divas 2012 airs one week from tonight at 9 PM on VH1.  :-)

[DEC 9] In the Donna is everywhere category, look for Time Magazine's Year In Review issue and Life Magazine's Farewell Edition.

[DEC 9] Johnnyswim fans - check out their Christmas video for Baby It's Cold Outside. The song is available for purchase at iTunes.

[DEC 9] And if you have been watching TV here in the US and run across an ad for Target that made you say - HEY! Isn't that...? Yes it is! It's Amanda Sudano Ramirez.  :-)  You can watch it here. 

[DEC 9] And I think that brings us to YouTube. Look for the Headline News reports on Donna's passing here, and here. For something more upbeat, there is the drag tribute to Donna and Whitney, the Junior Vasquez mix of Melody Of Love (audio only), Patrice's video for Breath Of Heaven, and an interview with Nik Ramli author of The Thrill Goes On. I'll be back Tuesday night - hopefully with good news!

[DEC 2] The new Summer Fever Pick is posted, and in keeping with the season I've temporarily abandoned chronological order to bring you... you guessed it! Christmas Spirit!  One note for iTunes users, it has come to my attention that the copy of Christmas Spirit available for purchase there is missing the title track. What you will want to do instead is buy the 20th Century Masters Christmas Collection: The Best Of Donna Summer. That one is complete.

[DEC 2] More performers have been added to the Divas 2012 roster. Kelly Clarkson and Pitbull are the new additions. (Pitbull is a diva?  ;-) ) Melanie Fiona and Metric are slated to take part in the tribute to Donna and Whitney.  The show will air Sunday December 16 at 9/8c on VH1. Hopefully we will get a worthy tribute.

[DEC 2] Speaking of worthy tributes, Canard (under one of his many YouTube names) has put together a really amazing video promoting Donna for the Rock Hall Of Fame.  Have a hanky ready for the end.  :-)

[DEC 2] Speaking of the Hall Of Fame, tomorrow (December 3) is the last day fans can vote for their nominees. The final list of inductees for 2013 should be announced within the next couple of weeks.

[DEC 2] Once again that ever elusive Donna bio-pic is in the news and once again, Tasha Smith is asking to play the lead. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that.

[DEC 2] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Donna's duet with Marilyn McCoo of O Come All Ye Faithful, a 1987 concert from Japan (43 minutes - save time to watch it!), a tribute montage set to On The Radio, and a video for Last Dance filmed on the TGIF set (and it's NOT the clip you see in the movie).

[NOV 25] Let me start off by saying that in addition to the Pages From The Heart Encore submissions, I am also accepting the annual holiday messages again. I guess I can't call the page E-Greetings for Donna anymore.  :-(  That will just go up on the usual page close to Christmas time, while Pages will be primarily an actual book we can send to Bruce.

[NOV 25] In cover news, a bunch of classic dance artists are getting together to put out a Donna Summer tribute CD (not to be confused with the Donna Summer Tribute Site which will not fit nicely in your CD player.  ;-) ) According to the DJ Rico forum, the artists include; France Joli (I Feel Love and Last Dance), Carol Douglas (Heaven Knows and MacArthur Park), Anita Warn and Linda Clifford (songs yet to be announced.) I have to say I have mixed feelings about this. I love the idea of people doing tributes, I'm just not totally in love with the idea of hearing other people singing Donna's songs yet. (Although I'm less opposed than I used to be, so I guess that's progress.)

[NOV 25] I think we have a few Cher fans here, right? It turns out her label wants her to include a cover song on her next album. The fan sit, CherWorld.com, has a list of possibilities posted and is asking viewers to vote for their favorite. Hot Stuff is one of the possibilities and it's the top vote getter as I write this.

[NOV 25] Kylie Minogue was on BBC2 Radio this week picking songs for the broadcast.  One song in particular was one you might be familiar with. It's called Hot Stuff. ;-) You can listen to the broadcast here. (Unlike most BBC video links, the radio links work internationally.) Hot Stuff kicks in at about the 2 hour mark right after the news.

[NOV 25] A Brazilian TV show did a tribute to Donna and Whitney recently. You can watch it on the GloboTV website.

[NOV 25] The Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone has a special Divas edition. There is a photo of the cover on PapelPop.com. You can spot Donna's picture right on top by Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. (I think Donna would have found it cool to be in their company.  :-) )

[NOV 25] For the gardeners out there (of which I am not one - unless you like dead plants  LOL)  there is a hosta plant out there that has been named "Last Dance". (And trust me, if I plant it, it will be that poor plant's last dance!)  You can check it out on this plant website.

[NOV 25] That brings us to YouTube. Look for the early 80s demo of Walk Hand In Hand (audio only), Divas 2000 rehearsal and interview footage, State Of Independence official video, and not for the faint of heart - Be Myself Again live in Paris. (Try to ignore the Could It Be Magic intro - it's kind of distracting when Donna starts talking.)

[NOV 18] Where should we start? Well let me start by saying that the American Music Awards are on tonight and I am working on this update as they air. So if Donna gets a mention while I'm working,  I'll let you know. I do know they are planning a tribute to Dick Clark - as well they should. The AMA's were his thing, so if they ignored his passing I'm sure Dick Clark's ghost would haunt them forever.  LOL Having said that, one place that Donna definitely gets a mention in connection with the AMAs is on the BayouBuzz.com. She's at the top of the page with her 3 awards in 1979.  :-)

[NOV 18] I don't usually like to talk about leaks of unreleased tracks here since that tends to cause all kinds of chaos, but Tony Moran sneaked in a bit of Valley Of The Moon in his recent podcast. You can hear the whole podcast here, Donna is about 2/3 of the way in.

[NOV 18] A number of people have already received their copies of Giorgio's On The Groove Train Vol 1 [Amazon, Amazon UK] and while the version of Virgin Mary on it is crystal clear, apparently it is a single edit which is slightly different from the original vinyl release. The guys who have been in contact with Repetoire have asked about some other rare early Donna tracks, and apparently there are plans to release Denver Dream and Something's In The Wind on Volume 2 next year. (The more clean copies we get of rare stuff, the better!  :-) )

[NOV 18] From the land of the completely unexpected, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten the punk rocker) said some wonderful things about Donna in his video blog.  You want to jump to about 1:45 - the beginning is about Occupy Wallstreet.

[NOV 18] The last episode of X Factor USA featured one of the contestants doing Last Dance. She got good reviews from all the judges - even Simon Cowell wasn't too mean.  LOL

[NOV 18]  Johnnyswim fans - the pair have been busy lately with an appearance at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville tonight, and an appearance on NPR radio on the Prairie Home Companion last night. Now don't kick yourself for missing last night's show - because you didn't really.  You only missed the live broadcast. You can still hear the archived copy of the show on the Prairie Home Companion website.   :-)

[NOV 18] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is a tribute to Donna from none other than Stephanie Mills. The sounds fuzzes out a bit a couple of times and unfortunately Stephanie only does the slow part, but this may be my favorite musical tribute so far. I don't know how much of that is my own mindset (I really wasn't into covers at first) and how much of that is that Stephanie Mills seems to get it.  :-)  Now for those who want to hear the lady herself, there is a clip of I Love You live from 2005, I Feel Love (2012 Giorgio Moroder Mix), Donna accepting a 1980 American Music Award, and a remix called "Donna Summer" Tender Touch (you know when I use quotes, something's up right? ) that sounds EXACTLY like a remix of Diana Ross singing Tenderness. I always admired that about Donna - that every so often she could just change her voice (and look) completely and be a total ringer for Diana Ross, Gloria Gaynor, Irene Cara....   LOL

[NOV 11] Happy Veteran's Day to all my veteran friends regardless of country or branch of service.  Your sacrifices are appreciated - even if we non-military people don't always show it.  :-)

[NOV 11] I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the people from, well everywhere, who have come to the assistance of the Hurricane Sandy victims. Even though I suffered no more than inconvenience (OK and severe internet withdrawal symptoms  LOL), so many other people suffered so much. It's a really strange thing to see a Red Cross tent set up by the neighborhood gazebo where we had the Fall Festival.  These things always happen "somewhere else" - or at least they are supposed to, right? But not that "somewhere else" is just a couple of miles from my house, it's heartening to see so many electrical workers from all over the country helping to sort out repairs, Red Cross and other volunteers providing hot food to displaced people and people living with no power, people donating food, clothing, blankets, etc to those who lost all, and people who have just offered thoughts and prayers for the victims. Yes, there are a few dirtbags taking advantage of the situation (There always are) but thankfully they are in the minority. It just goes to show that a community is more than just a block or a town or even a city - a community is everybody anywhere who willingly pulls together to help those who need it. In a crisis, a community can be as big as the whole world. 

[NOV 11] I finally updated the Summer Fever pick - in keeping with the chronological order I started when Donna passed, it's A Love Trilogy.

[NOV 11] So there is absolutely no news... nope nothing at all.  I'm kidding, actually I have some great news. VH1 Divas 2012 will officially include tributes to Donna Summer and Whitney Houston. (On a side note, was it really 12 years ago Donna was on the tribute to Diana Ross? Really? I should have listened when my grandmother told me that time goes by faster, the older you get.)  Adam Lambert (A Donna fan in his own right) will be hosting the show, and he will be joined by Ciara, Miley Cyrus, Demo Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Jordan Sparks.  Having said that, the show doesn't air until December 16 (9 PM) and it's pretty common for the Divas lineups to change a bit as the airdate gets closer. It seems to me that some years they started with a list of a half a dozen people, then by the night of the show there were thousands of them.  LOL  By the way, I reserve the right complain about young whippersnappers if someone tries to sing I Will Survive as a tribute to Donna.  ;-)

[NOV 11] I don't remember if I posted this back in May (and it's too depressing to go back and look at the links on the Memorial News page, but this blog post on Margaret Cho's page is pretty cool. 

[NOV 11] A recent episode of Project Runway All Stars featured a project with a disco theme. The episode was filmed shortly after Donna's death, so of course one outfit was inspired by "Donna Summer" and one designer was heard to say "Rest in Peace." The episode is available online - at least to people in the US. I don't know if it's region locked, so if you are outside the US, give it a shot and see what happens.

[NOV 11] Huffington Post recently posted a list of the 15 best covers. MacArthur Park made the list at #13 (proving that Huffington Post has impeccable taste in music.  ;-) )

[NOV 11] A recent installment of  the Toronto Star's Anti-Hit List included Virgin Mary. (Not that's not a song you see listed in current media!  :-) )

[NOV 11] The UK's Daily Mail listed the 123 million-selling songs since the start of the Official Charts Company's countdown in 1952. You will find I Feel Love at # 99.

[NOV 11] And I think that should bring us to YouTube now. Look for Michael Jackson (and others ) in the studio for State Of Independence, a classic Donna being silly moment from the Crayons tour, the Glen Rivera Restructured mix of Enough Is Enough, the Love Is In Control video, kids dancing to I Feel Love on Top Of The Pops (I swear there is one who looks a bit like a young Veronica at first glance  LOL), Riding Through The Storm from Live & More Encore (for all the people dealing with the recent storms, earthquakes, etc), and finally a super mashup video of MC Hammer, Eurythmics, New Order, Talking Heads and Donna. (There is something really strange about seeing the Hammer dance juxtaposed with Annie Lennox in a business suit!)

[NOV 5] I'm alive! I survived Frankenstorm Sandy. For those who haven't seen me being silly on Facebook or Twitter, I got through just fine with no more damage than a few lost shingles on the roof. No big deal. But I was without power for 8 days, so it's going to take a little while for me to figure out what is going on in the Donna world so I can write an update.  I just want to say thank you to all of you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I consider myself a very lucky woman - not just because I weathered the storm, but because I have you guys looking out for me. And now I would like to ask you to redirect those thoughts and prayers to the victims of the storm who lost everything. There are many of them. The photos I have been able to see are just shocking. I will be back when I get caught up with the Summer Fever pick and all the news I missed. 

[OCT 28] Happy Halloween everyone and Happy Frankenstorm for those you on the East Coast of the USA.  If you are in the path of the storm, don't forget to take care of the essentials: charge your iPod (or other mobile music device) so you can have all the Donna tunes you want during a power outage. ;-) I personally am in the storm's path (and yes, I charged up all my music capable devices  LOL) so you may only see me online via mobile connections over the next few days. (Who knows? The last storm didn't do more than make our power flicker.) So watch Twitter or Facebook for all my complaints about having to work during a major storm.  LOL

[OCT 28] Speaking of the storm, for those of you who were planning to see Johnnyswim at Jammin Java in the Washington DC area tomorrow - that show has been postponed due to weather.  They will let us know when they have the new date.

[OCT 28] Those of you with Kindles or Nooks will want to stock up on a little reading material (either for the storm or just for fun.) The good news is that Donna's autobiography, Ordinary Girl is now available for both readers. [Amazon, Barnes & Noble] If you don't have either device, you can always download the free Kindle or Nook app for your computer, phone or tablet and read the book with that. Just one note, it looks like it's currently only in the US stores.

[OCT 28] In music news, there is an EP on the German and Canadian iTunes (possibly others too - but NOT the US iTunes) credited to Donna called How I Feel. Everybody has been asking where it came from, so here you go. The song was from the soundtrack to the musical The Me Nobody Knows which Donna recorded way back when she was still using the name Gayn Pierre. It looks like somebody snapped up permission to release that track (at least I HOPE they did, or it's gonna disappear in a hail of cease and desists  LOL)  and then commissioned a couple of remixes so they could have an EP instead of a solitary track.  Now for the rabid collectors out there who want the original release - it's pretty hard to find as the musical itself it pretty obscure. And you need to keep in mind that Donna's cast recorded a German version and an English version. How I Feel is ONLY on the English version. 

[OCT 28] In yet more music news, there is a Giorgio Moroder compilation coming out called On The Groove Train Vol. 1. According to the label's site, the compilation will include Virgin Mary! (The track list has been changed a few times, so we'll have to keep an eye on that.) It is available for preorder at Amazon and Amazon UK. The US Amazon store lists it as an import with a release date of October 30.  Amazon UK has a release date of November 12. I would say that is the more accurate date.

[OCT 28] VH1 will be airing Divas 2012 on December 16. They are not listing any details other than the artwork, but it looks like it will have a dance theme.  So hopefully they find a way to at least acknowledge Donna at some point during the show.

[OCT 28] I have no Rock Hall of Fame news for the week, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to remind you to vote for Donna for the Hall Of Fame. If you already have - try again. Sometimes it will take the extra vote. And don't forget that many of us have access to multiple computers or other web devices.  Many of us also have friends who owe us favors as well. ;-)  Having said that, I find it strange that every time I look Donna is always at 4.7%. It never varies by even a fraction of a percent. I should watch and see if the same holds true for the other nominees.

[OCT 28] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Try A Little Tenderness with Joss Stone (it's from a VH1 show but this clip is audio only), She Works Hard For The Money from a 83-84 TV appearance, the video for Fame (The Game), and an early performance of Love To Love You.  I will be back (weather/power circumstances permitting) in a few days with the Summer Fever pick.   :-)

[OCT 21] Let's start with a really great interview with Harold Faltermeyer in the new issue of Daeida. It's a nice long piece that primarily focuses on his work with Donna. There is even a never before seen photo of the two of them. Those of you who like reading about the behinds the scenes stuff involved in making an album will be thrilled. The entire magazine is available online. Just click the cover to open it up, then click again to view in full screen mode. (You will have to do that if you actually want to be able to read the text.) 

[OCT 21] Let's move on to Giorgio Moroder. He is on Soundcloud now - let the dancing begin!  :-) He's actually got 2 pages there, GiorgioMoroder and GiorgioMoroder2. He doesn't currently have any Donna stuff up there (a version of I Feel Love was there, but I don't see it now.) He does have something like 35 tracks of his own stuff - some of which is not easy to find elsewhere. 

[OCT 21] Johnnyswim fans - they have two (yes I said TWO) new tracks for your listening pleasure. The first is a free track available on Johnnyswim.com called Make. The second will cost you a buck on iTunes (money well spent!) and it's their take on the holiday song, Baby It's Cold Outside.

[OCT 21] I don't have any new Rock Hall Of Fame news, but I thought it would be a good time to remind you to vote if you haven't already. (Or vote again. I haven't figured out exactly why sometimes it accepts my vote as new and sometimes it doesn't - it's either because I allow enough time to pass, or because I cleared my browser history and cookies. And sometimes it will take votes from my other devices, and sometimes it won't. We gotta pull her out of 7th place is we want her on the fan ballot.  :-) ) 

[OCT 21] That brings us to the land of YouTube. Look for the Work That Magic video, the There Goes My Baby video, a remix of Love's About To Change My Heart, Donna's induction to the Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame, as I Feel Love remix, and rehearsal footage/interviews from Divas 2000.

[OCT 16] The update is a little late - I fell asleep Sunday night.  LOL  OK where should we start? How about Barbra Streisand. As you probably know (unless you've been living under a rock for the last few decades  ;-) ), she did a duet with Donna called Enough Is Enough or No More Tears. Now Donna sang the song all the time in her shows. Barbra never has.... until now. And she's been singing it as a tribute to Donna (it's part of a segment of her show that pays tribute to friends and collaborators.) In Philly she said: "I had the great pleasure of doing this one with Donna Summer. She had one of the most powerful beautiful voices and we miss her." Barbra has prefaced he song with slightly different remarks at different venues, but all are complimentary to Donna. There are a couple of videos online, but this one includes Barbra's introduction. (Can we get Mary up on stage with her so they can fight over who gets to do the Barbra part?  ;-) )

[OCT 16] The RHOF publicity continues:

ReellifeWithJane.com (mostly about Heart's nomination)
Eurweb.com (nice picture)
SFLuxe.com (about the public vote - which reminds me, did YOU vote? Have you begged your friends to vote?  ;-) )

[OCT 16] While you are in a voting mood, HomoTop100.be is asking music fans to pick their 10 top songs from a list of 500. (You have the option to write in one of your own if it's not listed.) They only take 1 ballot per email address, so consider your choices carefully. 

[OCT 16] Stargayzing.com has a list of 13 songs that they feel should have been top 10 hits. Stamp Your Feet comes in third on the list. 

[OCT 16] Canada's CBC has a show called Searching For Dorothy - a reality/talent show where they are looking for a girl to play Dorothy in a new Andrew Lloyd Weber version of the Wizard Of Oz. The most recent episode had the choices narrowed to 6 girls - 3 of whom sang Donna songs for the competition.  :-)

[OCT 16] Johnnyswim fans in the Los Angeles area - don't forget the duo is playing at Hotel Cafe Thursday night. Get tickets here. 

[OCT 16] That brings us to YouTube. First we have another video of Barbra singing No More Tears, Sad Eyes from the Brooklyn Dreams reunion concert a couple weeks ago, On The Radio from Donna's last public appearance with David Foster & Friends a year ago, Could It Be Magic from Dutch TV, Heaven's Just A Whisper Away from The Word, a video (tagged as official) for Last Dance, a video for Autumn Changes, a good version of the When Love Takes Over You video, the I Remember Yesterday video, and A Man Like You maybe from the Midnight Special?  (That looks like their set.)

[OCT 6] As I reported the other day, Donna is nominated for the Rock Hall Of Fame again (and if you haven't done it yet, go vote for her - there is a fan ballot this year!) As usual, there are a bunch of articles both reporting on the nominees and debating their merits. I'm a little sad that this time nobody can complain that the RHOF fame is bogus because they haven't nominated Rush yet.  LOL So here is a sample of the articles out there right now:

La Times
Entertainment Weekly
Hit Fix (speculation on which nominees will make the cut)
NPR (more speculation)
Philly.com
NJ.com
BostonHerald.com
ZeeNews

And I'm sure I will have more to add as the week go by.  :-) (Oh and did I mention that you should go vote for Donna?  ;-) )

[OCT 6]  Johnnyswim fans, check out their latest New Music Monday: Love Me/Don't.  It's the duet they did in Smokey Joe's Cafe. 

[OCT 6] Brooklyn Sudano fane, she has tweeted (and her dad and brother-in-law have both posted) that she does NOT have a Facebook account. So any page(s) you see in her name are not hers and are not endorsed by her. They are fan creations.

[OCT 6] In classic dance news, Gold Legion has a sale going on until October 8. Select albums are 7.99 and there is free shipping on orders of $100 or more. (International shipping included!)  Also  if you didn't get Roberta Kelly's Zodiac Lady or Munich Machine's self-titled album, get them soon because they will no longer be available after December. 

[OCT 6] That brings us to the web news for the week. First up, if you haven't checked out Sebastiano's Donna Summertime site in awhile, he's got a bunch of photos in the People Talk section that aren't seen very often. (And it was kind of sad to realize that some of the people Donna is pictured with are no longer with us either. Sigh.)  He's also got a Remembering Donna page with a compilation of quotes about her. I love the picture he's got at the top of that page!  :-)  Moving on to video, YouTube has a new upload of the rare gospel medley with Donna, Mac Davis, Dolly Parton, and Tom Jones, a megamix that uses a little Spring Affair, an entertainment news report that includes Donna's RHOF nomination, and a cool little animated clip of a classic performance - there is no sound, but the animation reminds me a little of the Aha Take On Me video. 

[OCT 4] For those who haven't heard yet, Donna is nominated yet again for the Rock Hall Of Fame. This year is a little bit different though.  The RHOF is giving fans a voice this year - a tiny voice to be sure, but something is better than nothing. They have an online poll and the top 5 vote getters will be submitted on a "fan ballot" along with all the other ballots, and then in December the final list of inductees will be announced. The voting started today, and at the moment Donna is in the middle of the pack. It's going to take some serious voting to take on the Rush fans, but I know we can do it. (There is a reason Billboard refers to Donna summer fans as being "vociferous".  ;-) ) You are permitted to vote for 5 artists, so after you check Donna's box, pick 4 more acts that you feel are deserving. If you are on social media (Facebook, etc) post the link to the poll and get your friends involved.  :-) Oh and if you need a little quote or something to inspire your friends, consider these words from Sir Elton John: Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted.

[SEP 30] Well it's the last day of the month, so you know what that means - time for a new Summer Fever pick. Going in chronological order, that brings us to Love To Love You Baby. And before I get to the news, I have a new Ken's Korner. This time he is considering Donna's fan base.

[SEP 30] In release news, there is a new release of the Live & More Encore concert, under just the title Encore. It is a CD/DVD combo and I am told that the sound quality and packaging are very good. The CD includes the live tracks that were omitted from the original release, and the booklet is up to date and includes info on Ordinary Girl.  It's available now at Amazon UK, and will be available October 16 from Amazon US.

[SEP 30] Out has compiled a list of the 100 Gayest Albums Of All Time. Once Upon A Time comes in at #72 and Bad Girls shows up at #34.

[SEP 30] Brooklyn Dreams fans - as many of you know, the guys reunited today for a performance on Lido Beach here on Long Island. I was lucky enough to be there and I have to say that the guys still got it! They also looked like they were having a blast up there on stage. (I know we were having a blast in the audience.) Many of you will be very happy to learn that the guys are planning to do more shows in the future. YAY! And WCBS radio was on hand after the show to interview the guys, so hopefully they will broadcast that soon. (Although since the interviewer was asking about favorite Christmas songs, we might have to wait a bit.) Some deranged webmistress got a couple of clips from the show and has posted them on YouTube.  (If you are on Facebook, you have probably already seen them.) One of the clips is of Bruce performing with his old band, Alive N Kickin. 

[SEP 30] Moving on to classic dance news, Big Break Records has releases a couple of Casablanca treasures. One is  the self-titled album by Platypus from 1979 and the other is LIPPS Inc's Mouth To Mouth also from 1979. Both albums are remastered and include bonus tracks and interviews with the bands. 

[SEP 30] And that brings us to YouTube. Look for Donna's 1984 interview segment from American Bandstand's Christmas show in excellent quality, a Donna Summer megamix by Vj Percy, A mix of I Will Go With You also by Vj Percy,  a tribute to the music industry people we've lost so far this year set to A Song For You by Donna, and a slideshow of really pretty winter images set to Winter Melody.

[SEP 26] Mary and Dara Bernard will be performing in Delray Beach, FL on Saturday (Sept 29) for the Avenue Church's Night Of Wonder. It's a free outdoor concert (bring your own chairs, blankets, and snacks), but they are taking donations of children's items (clothing, diapers, baby food, etc) for the Adopted Orphan Care Ministry. Check out the details here. There is also a quote from Mary posted on the site.

[SEP 23] I didn't watch the Emmy's tonight, but PerezHilton has the In Memoriam clip from the show, and Donna is included. (I wasn't expecting that on an awards show that focuses on TV.  It was a nice surprise.) She's at about 4:10 with a clip from Bandstand.

[SEP 23] You can read a profile of Nik Ramli , the guy who wrote the new book, Donna Summer: The Thrill Goes On at The Star Online. You can grab the book at Amazon, Amazon UK, and other places.

[SEP 23] In covers news, Kristine W covered Sometimes Like Butterflies on her upcoming album, New & Number Ones. You have to wait a couple more days to get it, but Amazon has sound clips posted already. I can't really tell you what I think of her version because to be honest, I'm not really in a covers frame of mind right now so my opinion wouldn't be fair. But I do appreciate the nod to the diva.  :-) 

[SEP 23] Johnnyswim fans - as you probably know the pair have been doing Smokey Joe's Cafe in the Nashville area.  They have generated a couple of really nice reviews (which should surprise nobody!  LOL) There is one in the Tennessean, and one  at Nashville.Broadway.com.

[SEP 23] Also in Johnnyswim news, they have a song in the new film, Unconditional. Check it out here.

[SEP 23] Don't forget one week from today the Brooklyn Dreams are reuniting for a free performance  at Lido Beach Town Park right here on Long Island. 

[SEP 23] On YouTube look for a tribute from Francisca Urio, an On The Radio remix, Glen Rivera's updated Restructre Mix of One Night In A Lifetime, a Donna vs. Petshop Boys mashup called I Feel Twice The Love I Feel Loved, and more clips from A Hot Summer Night from PGHFanJohn

[SEP 16] I mentioned last week that a theater in Chelsea was doing a tribute to Donna. I heard from one of the guys who went and he said it was a nice evening. The place was almost completely sold out, and the festivities were hosted by a drag queen named Hedda Lettuce. (Drag queens have the coolest names!  LOL)  She shared trivia about the film, handed out gift bags (not Donna-related though), asked the fans about their favorite songs, and then of course they ran TGIF. The audience went nuts when Donna first appeared on the screen, and again when she sang Last Dance.  (Ahh that brings back fond memories of seeing the movie when it came out in the theaters....  :-) ) 

[SEP 16] In the land of wishful thinking, actress Tasha Smith said in a recent interview that she would love to play Donna in a biopic.  (And before someone gets mad that I used the phrase "wishful thinking" - that's not a comment on the actress, but an acknowledgement that at this time there is no biopic in the works.)

[SET 16] In depressing news, the Baltimore Sun complied a pretty big list of celebrities we've lost to cancer. I hate cancer. (Which may be the understatement of the century.)

[SEP 16] Brooklyn Sudano fans - she just wrapped up filming for the TV show Reed Between The Lines (on BET - check your local listings.)  So look for her on that show soon.  :-)

[SEP 16] Johnnyswim fans - they have announced a new date in the Washington DC area on October 29. That is in addition to a whole bunch of dates in Nashville from September 21 to October 7, and a few dates in New York at the end of October. Check their site for details.

[SEP 16] That brings us to YouTube, and I have a really interesting clip for you to start. It's a song by log-time fan Nick Petrone called Woman Of Faith and I think it will take you all of 3 seconds to figure out who he is singing about.  :-) You can see the official music video here, and you can grab the song on iTunes and all the other MP3 places. You might want to have a hanky handy when you watch - especially if you are still in the crying stages of grief.  After that, you can catch an interview with Donna on Hulu,  a clip of Hot Stuff from Donna's last public concert, a video from the Nobel Peace Prize concert, a video from the book launch of The Thrill Goes On by Nik Ramli, and a couple of clips from the Hot Summer Night special from PGHFanJohn.

[SEP 9] Let's start with  the Clearview Cinemas in Chelsea (NYC) are doing a tribute to Donna on Thursday September 13. (That would be this Thursday coming up.) They will be running Thank God It's Friday - and I'd love to see that again on the big screen with a crowd of people.  :-) (How do I make them stop doing these things on nights I work?  LOL) Details are here.  If you are going - make enough noise so I can hear you from here.  :-)

[SEP 9] I might have mentioned this on the memorial news page once, but there is a page for Donna at Memmento.com where you can leave virtual flowers, candles, etc with your own personal message. (For some reason they have one picture of Whitney Houston mixed in with the Donna pictures.)

[SEP 9] In release news, there is a Giorgio Moroder compilation coming out soon called On The Groove Train Pop & Dance Rarities 1975-1993. It includes tracks by many artists Giorgio has worked with - Donna is represented with an extended mix of Carry On.  You can get it on Amazon UK starting September 24 and Amazon US starting October 2.

[SEP 9] Brooklyn Dreams fans, I mentioned that they will be opening for Alive N Kickin in Hempstead NY at the Festival By The Sea on September 30. The town has posted the full schedule of events and the guys are slated to take the stage about 1:30.  It's a free show, free admission and if you have a family, bring them along because there will be plenty of things going on for the kids too. 

[SEP 9] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Winter Melody from TOTP, a vintage clip of Love To Love You, the extended Dreamtime mix of On The Radio, Gloria Gaynor's tribute to Donna, Anyway At All from Jay Leno, and DJ Jandry's video for Full Of Emptiness.

[SEP 2] Happy Labor Day everyone. (Take the day off tomorrow even if it's not a holiday in your country.) So ends our first truly Summer-less summer. And now we're gonna have to start getting serious about Pages From The Heart Encore. (You probably guessed that when you saw the big box above.  LOL)  My original thought had been to share memories, but after reading some of the stuff that was written on the forums, it can be expanded to what Donna means to you.

[SEP 2] It's a new month so that means a new Summer Fever Pick. We did the musicals last month, so let's move on to Lady Of The Night.  :-)

[SEP 2] Juno Records is putting out a CD/DVD combo pack called Encore. It is the Live & More Encore concert - only this time it is supposed to have all of the songs on the CD.  Now before you get excited, the Live & More Encore concert has been released on DVD a few times in the cut down form and the quality hasn't been the best. Hopefully this will be a good release, but we're gonna have to wait and see. Look for that to hit Amazon UK on September 24 and Amazon US on October 2 (as an import.)

[SEP 2] Now here's another reason I'm a little concerned by the Encore release, the same label has an upcoming compilation listed as The Best Of The Queen Of Disco. In addition to the usual hits (albeit in some unusual versions), they have included Na Na Hey Hey from the Shout It Out collection. That's either really funny or really scary - I haven't decided.  LOL

[SEP 2] In the Donna is everywhere category (STILL!), Manchester recently held its Pride event. Apparently for the occasions, one of the bars dressed all the waiters in Donna Summer t-shirts. (Why can't my employer be so cool?  LOL) 

[SEP 2] In the land of silly things that came out to make money off of Donna's name, there is a die cut decal on Amazon that says "Got Donna Summer?" (You could probably make one yourself if you wanted), and a wallet with the Rolling Stone magazine cover on it.  One thing I didn't realize - if you search for "Donna Summer" (and I highly recommend using quotes) on Amazon and start looking around in other departments besides music - you can find  all kinds of photos and things for sale. They have some of the same sort of things you find on eBay from time to time. 

[SEP 2] I think that brings us to YouTube. Look for O segne Gott mein Seel from Godspell. It's just the recording  accompanied by still photos, but the photos are definitely worth a look.  Then there is a clip of people dancing to I Feel Love from Top Of The Pops, On The Radio from Chile, and Heaven's Just A Whisper Away from Japan.

This last one is a real gem. When Ordinary Girl came out, Donna was asked to perform at a concert hosted by WKTU radio. Before they brought Donna out, they ran a video with clips, and plenty of celebrities raving about Donna. Some of the fans from the book signings were in the clip too - including a couple of guys from Italy I met at one of the TV appearances.  ;-) (I'm not naming names in case they are shy.  LOL) I never thought I was going to see that video again - it was a nice surprise to find it again. 

[AUG 26] I have another tribute essay for you courtesy of Jeremy Gloff's blog. Have a hanky ready when you read it.

[AUG 26] If any of you are in Malaysia, a place called No Black Tie is doing A Very Hot Summer Night on September 3.  They will have 4 singers performing in Donna's memory. Check their site for details.

[AUG 26] In weird news, I reported a while back that a guy in Scotland was arrested for playing his Donna tunes too loudly.  Well the guy had been sentenced to 6 months in jail. Now just how loud was that music?  LOL

[AUG 26] Johnnyswim fans - they posted a whole bunch of new tour dates for late September and early October. If you are in the Franklin, TN area you have no excuse for missing the show, they have 12 shows scheduled.  And that run is followed by 2 shows in New York City. Check Johnnyswim.com for all the details.

[AUG 26] Taihisha fans, you will want to check out SpiritOfHouse.com's pick of the week - a little something called Choises by Neal Conway featuring Taihisha. 

[AUG 26] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Look for a really good copy of a 1978 appearance by Donna and Paul Jabara on the Merv Griffin Show, about a million clips from a 2010 concert in Florida, Donna's first appearance on The View (with an audience packed with fans!), Last Dance from Family Matters, Starting Over Again from the Tonight Show, and Glen Rivera's Restructured mix of Say Something Nice.

[AUG 20] I took last weekend off for the Olympics (I was competing in the gold medal couch potato match  ;-) ) but I'm back again now. Unfortunately there's not too much going on at the moment. I do have another nice tribute article from OneForTheTable.com.

[AUG 20] The ITV in the UK recently ran a special on Stock Aitken & Waterman featuring footage of many of the artists they worked with. The really interesting thing is they have footage of Donna from the APAT photo sessions. The segment on Donna starts at about 39:00, but the whole show  will be of interest to fans of the SAW artists.

[AUG 20] Believe it or not there is a place in NJ called Summer Nites Bed & Breakfast that .. well, it calls itself 50s themed, but they actually have rooms decorated for other decades too. You can find a little Donna in the 70s room if you look.

[AUG 20] Brooklyn Dreams fans - if you are going to be in the Long Island area September 30, the guys are reuniting for a couple of songs at the Hempstead Family Festival on Lido Beach. They are opening for the band Alive N Kickin'.  It's a free event so how can you resist?  ;-)

[AUG 20] Congrats to fan mixer Summer2k! Part of his Donna megamix was played on the radio in California on the show 140 Beats Per Minute on KDVS.

[AUG 20] That brings us to YouTube. There is an Italian tribute to Donna, the Today Show report on Donna's death (watch for the little clip from the Live & More concert tour), a clip of On The Radio from David Foster & Friends, a YesOne vs. Donna mix of I Feel Love, and a video commentary from a fan about Donna's death. (Warning, it's a bit harsh about Whitney Houston.)

[AUG 5] I have an article that goes with the eBay auction I mentioned the other day. The article is about Donna's painting in general, but does specifically mention the sale of Wise Woman. I also have a PDF of the article the German magazine Gala printed when Donna passed.

[AUG 5] There is another article about Donna's passing focusing some of the hardships she overcame in her life. Included are clips from A&E's Biography.

[AUG 5] Next month, look for a new book by Nik Ramli called Donna Summer: The Thrill Goes On. [Amazon, Amazon UK] Just so you know, this is something Nik was working on long before we lost Donna. Now if you happen to have a Kindle, you don't have to wait until next month to get the book - you can grab it right now.

[AUG 5] Some of you may remember that there was a musical based on the works of Paul Jabara in progress. The musical is called Last Dance,  and it will FINALLY be seen onstage at the York Theater Company  September 20-23. According to BroadwayWorld.com, Rob Morrow has joined the cast. Tickets are a bargain and are available through YorkTheater.org.

[AUG 5] Taihisha fans - she's set herself up with a Soundcloud account, so if you are dying to check out some of her stuff just head over there.  :-)

[AUG 3] So, I guess it's time to go back to a more normal format. You can still find the Memorial News Page and the old news archives by following the links at the bottom of this section. I've made a couple of changes to this page too.  First of all, I have discontinued the Family Matters section.  I still plan to report all the family news, but now I'll just leave it in the main news section. (I was toying with making that change before Donna passed.)  And for obvious reasons I have removed the tour dates and media appearances sections.  The editorial section will be back as soon as either Ken or I have something to say.  :-)

[AUG 3] With the return to a normal format, the Quote of the Week and the Summer Fever Pick are back. I thought long and hard about what would be an appropriate Summer Fever Pick under the circumstances and I thought it might be fun to just start at the beginning and hit everything in order. (Well except for Christmas Spirit - that will always fall in December.  :-) ) Since Donna got her start in musical theater, this month I put the musicals in the spotlight.

[AUG 3] On to the news, in release news, the Oliver Grey Electro Remix of Omega Red's single Angel is now available on iTunes, Amazon, and Amazon UK. 

[AUG 3] The July 24 issue of the UK magazine OK has an interview with Pete Waterman of Stock Aitken & Waterman fame. In it, he talks a little about Donna. This is what he had to say:

Pete, you must have been devastated at Donna Summer's recent passing...
I should have guessed she was ill, because I saw she cancelled a gig 3 months before. Donna never cancels a gig. The great thing is that she was amazingly religious, so she won't have seen it as the end of her life, but as the beginning of a longer life. She wouldn't have been scared.

How did you come to work with her?
I was in LA with Rick Astley when he was number 1 and Bruce, Donna's husband, I've known for a long time. We were just sitting around the pool at the Beverly Hilton. Bruce came across and said Donna would like to meet me. I went over and she asked me to do the album. Everybody went 'Are you sure you want to work with Donna Summer because she's made these comments?' And I said 'Do you know what, I just want to work with great singers'.

Which comments are you talking about?
At the time, she was accused of making some anti-gay remarks. I asked her straight away and she said absolutely, categorically, no, she didn't say those things, and that was good enough for me.

[AUG 3] Dutch fans, Radio2 will have Donna as their artist of the day on Friday, August 10.  There is even a fullpage photo of her in the local radio guide announcing the fact.  :-)

[AUG 3] Someone sent me this eBay auction of a painting I had never seen before. It's called Wise Woman and you are gonna need pretty deep pockets to walk away with it.

[AUG 3] If you are looking for something silly, there is an Amazon seller who makes little tin boxes with images on them. They have one right now with a picture of Donna on the cover of Rolling Stone. 

[AUG 3] In web news, look for a remix of My Life (done as a tribute) on YouTube along with a 1995 performance of Last Dance, and a fan-made video for Donna's part of Something's Missing. There is also a really cute video mashup by Glen Rivera combining Once Upon A Time with footage from Disney's Cinderella. I will probably be back sometime this weekend because I do have a few more things to post.

[ALL NEWS BETWEEN MAY 17  AND AUGUST 3 CAN BE FOUND ON THE MEMORIAL NEWS PAGE]

[MAY 17] I literally have to leave for work right now - I will address today's news later.

[MAY 13] Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!  I have a new Ken's Korner for this week. It's his reflection on the passing of Dick Clark.

[MAY 13] In the Donna is everywhere category, Hot Stuff gets listed as one of the songs that "prove that Disco didn't suck" on a blog on the Gibson website. (Keep in mind that's the Gibson guitar site so it's geared toward a more rock audience.)

[MAY 13] Also in the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a brief mention in an article about the 30th anniversary of It's Raining Men as one of the people who turned down the song. (30 years? Damn I feel old again!) On a side note there is a picture of Martha Wash that many of you men (and some of you ladies) will appreciate - she is surrounded by quite a bit of eye candy.

[MAY 13] That brings us to the web news for the week. The blog, The Best Singer Donna Summer, is asking record companies to put out a Donna Summer CD. (Hmmm - I hope the wrong label doesn't see that - we don't need another Shout It Out by a fly-by-night label!   Although now that I think about it - we are overdue.  LOL)  Over on YouTube, look for a live clip of Could It Be Magic from 2010, a classic clip of the same song, a live version of Hot Stuff from a disco television special, a mix of Fame The Game, and a Protection video pieced together from other Donna videos. Finally for you UK fan, the BBC iPlayer has a Top Of The Pops clip of Winter Melody.

[MAY 5] Happy Cinco de Mayo! The update is a day early because I have plans for tomorrow - starting with the Walk for MS. I got the day off so I can walk for real instead of only in spirit.  :-)  If anyone still wants to donate, there is plenty of time and I still have the Paul Jabara CDs for my top 2 donors. I will pick them next weekend and that's when I'll email all my donors. I really appreciate the support you have shown me already - you guys are the best! 

[MAY 5] Let's start with remixes. There is a clip of Rumour Has It on Lollipop's EDM Mix Vol. 2. Look for it at about the 28 minute mark.

[MAY 5] International fans check out iTunes for the album A Blue Live Lady. (My link is for the UK iTunes - the rest of you may have to manually search for it.) It is the audio from the 1983 A Hot Summer Night With Donna special with the addition of Enough Is Enough. This album is NOT available in the US, but strangely it IS available in Canada. (Well that should make up a little for all those times Canada had to wait for new releases.  LOL)

[MAY 5] The Guardian had an article recently where readers recommended songs about parks. MacArthur Park made the list with readers preferring Donna's version to the original. (Well, that's a no-brainer!  LOL Of course it's better!)  On a side note, I had no idea there were so many songs about parks.

[MAY 5] That brings us to the web. Over on YouTube look for a clip called Donna Sings Everything from stampyurfeet. (She doesn't really sing everything - the clip is only 10 minutes long after all!  LOL But there are some good covers on it.) Also look for a collection of clips from The Midnight Special featuring a number of different artists, a remix of Could It Be Magic, and a remix of This Time I Know It's For Real. 

[MAY 5] In classic dance news, Gold Legion has plans to  release CDs by The Emotions, Suzi Lane, The Richie Family, Teri Desario, Philip Oakley & Giorgio Moroder, Marian Montgomery and Madleen Kane throughout May and early June.

[MAY 1] The new Summer Fever pick is posted. This month we relive I'm A Rainbow.

[APR 29] Johnnyswim fans will want to check the Family Matters section for a new release.  :-)

[APR 29] In Donna news, she could be seen performing at David Foster's wedding on the latest episode of Dutch Hollywood Wives.  You can watch it on the Net5 website.  It's episode 8 (in case you  check it out after the next episode goes up) and the show is partly in Dutch and partly in English with Dutch subtitles. And unless you want to see the whole show, you can scroll ahead to about the 45 minute mark to catch Last Dance. 

[APR 29] That brings us to YouTube. Check out Glen Rivera's mixes for Back In Love Again and Sunset People, the Hot Tracks mix for Love's About To Change My Heart, and a short clip of Donna singing You've Got A Friend with Rita Coolidge.

[APR 22] Happy Earth Day everyone. Let's start with the big news - Omega Red's single Angel is now available on iTunes  and there is a lot more Donna on there than I expected - so that was a nice treat.  :-) 

[APR 22] There is a TV show in Holland called Dutch Hollywood Wives. The episode airing this Tuesday (April 24) will feature David Foster's wedding - and you will see a little Donna in that.  :-)  The show airs on Net 5 at 21:25, but you can catch a sneak preview on the  show's website.  Just play the video for the previous episode - at the very end (yes you can fast forward to the end) is a preview for Tuesday's show and you can see a few seconds of Donna performing. You can also see a different clip on YouTube.

[APR 22] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a brief mention in an interview with one of the American Bandstand dancers. 

[APR 22] And that brings us to YouTube. Look for stampyurfeet's Art On Ice Tribute version of Last Dance, Glen Rivera's Restructured mix of Down Deep Inside, DJ OzYBoY's mix of Love Is In Control, and Last Dance from American Bandstand - an old clip, but very appropriate this week.

[APR 19] Well, I'm sure most of you have heard the sad news by now. Entertainment legend Dick Clark has passed away at the age of 82. There are probably a million obituaries on the net like this Washington Post article - a simple Google search will have you reading for hours if you want. Personally, I'm having trouble imagining a world without Dick Clark. As a kid I saw him on Bandstand and game shows. But maybe my favorite thing was the New Year's Eve specials believe it or not. I'll tell you why. As a kid my family used to spend New Year's Eve at grandma's house watching Guy Lombardo - not exactly the coolest show on the air. LOL But at some point I discovered that there was a show called New Year's Rockin Eve hosted by Dick Clark and it had MUCH cooler music on it. And I was thrilled when I finally got to see it. It became a tradition for me to tune in. Even in more recent years when the musical acts haven't always been quite to my taste - I tuned in to watch Dick do the final countdown in Times Square. I honestly don't know how anyone can hope to fill his shoes when the ball drops for 2013. And it will be with much sadness that I tune in this year. Rest in Peace Dick!

[APR 19] I know many of you are wondering what Donna has had to say about Dick Clark. She has released this quote: "It's a sad day for the music industry and the world. No one did more than Dick Clark to help promote the careers of recording artists over the past six decades. He was a legend, a true gentleman and most importantly a dear friend to me." 

[APR 19] Bruce weighed in on Twitter as well: Dick Clark..quite possibly Rock N Roll's biggest gateway and supporter ever! Not to mention a gracious and kind man..

[APR 15] Let's start with release news, the Omega Red (featuring Donna of course!) single, Angel, is coming out in 2 weeks, Check out the photo on Omega Red's Facebook page.

[APR 15] The Rock Hall Of Fame induction ceremony took place last night, which of course has put the Hall Of Fame back in the news.  The Daily Beast has chimed in with an editorial on the selection of inductees. Donna gets named as one of the people who hasn't made the Hall Of Fame Yet, but the rest of the article is interesting too.

[APR 15] Mix fans, check out this Redroche Bootleg mix called Chasing The Love which is a combo of Giorgio's The Chase and Donna's I Feel Love. (And let's face if, you really can't go wrong mixing either of those tracks - they both are amazing tracks to work with.)

[APR 15] In the Donna is everywhere category, an article on Cazwell describes his style as "if Biggie Smalls ate Donna Summer for breakfast." I don't think I've ever heard anyone's style put in such cannibalistic terms before.  LOL

[APR 15] That brings us to the web news for the week.  On YouTube look for a stampyurfeet Art On Ice/ Cold Love video, Whispering Waves paired with some nice footage of.. well, waves of course, Say Something Nice paired with images to make a commentary on society, and the studio version of La Vie En Rose paired with the art of Jacques Verbist.

[APR 8] Happy Passover, Easter, beautiful spring weekend everyone!

[APR 8] In release news, Omega Red has tweeted that his single, Angel (featuring Donna of course), should be out in about a month. The song is also nominated for a Hollywood Music In Media Award in the rap category.   :-)

[APR 8] In classic release news, there is a new compilation out of Japan called Donna Summer Gold [Amazon, Amazon UK] due out June 26. There is no track list yet, but it's a 2 CD set and since it is coming from Japan there is a change that they will sneak a mix or two in with the hits. It's not unusual for Japanese imports to have extras that other compilations don't have.  

[APR 8] In the Donna is everywhere category, I saw Sister Act the other day (the musical not the movie) and Donna got name-checked a couple of times very early in the show. Perhaps I should mention that they set the action in 1977-78. Also, in one song they managed to thrown in a couple of "beep beeps" - something about nuns singing "beep beep" still cracks me up. LOL

[APR 8] In the you can't believe everything on the internet category, somebody pointed out that if you do a Google search for "Barbra Streisand featuring Donna Summer" you get some weird results. Obviously No More Tears comes up a lot, but I found a few lyric sites that credited Donna for a whole bunch of songs that are just Barbra solo, and at least one song that even Barbra didn't sing.  Unless.....  maybe Donna was a silent backup singer for all those tracks?  LOL

[APR 8] In web news, music geeks might just be interested in this clip that demonstrates Donna's vocal range. Also look for WEN!NG'S Criminal Mix of The Hostage, a television clip of She Works Hard For The Money, and for something completely silly, check out this audition clip for RuPaul's Drag Race where Donna gets name-checked. Those of you on a combatitive frame of mind, might want to join the comment war on this Last Dance clip. (It's just not YouTube unless somebody is arguing!  LOL)

[APR 2] I hoped you liked my April Fool's joke, the real Summer Fever page is up now. This month I was in an Another Place And Time sort of mood. 

[APR 2] There was a report briefly up on PressOfAtlanticCity.com that Donna would be appearing at Caesar's Atlantic City at the end of July. That listing has since vanished and there is no mention on the Caesar's website or the Ticketmaster website. Either the listing was completely wrong from the beginning, or it was posted prematurely and will return at a later date. (Promoters have all sorts of agreements that restrict when a show can be announced.)

[APR 2] In the Donna is everywhere category (sort of) an episode of Kitchen Nightmares featured artwork that was based on Donna's Live & More album cover. The episode was set in Baltimore and I believe the name of the restaurant is Café Hon.

[APR 2] That brings us to the web news. On Youtube look for Supernatural Love on Soul Train, I Feel Love (read the video description), MacArthur Park live, and a fairly recent German profile on Donna.

[APR 1] Ok this is a few hours early for my time zone, but I thought I'd post the new Summer Fever pick. What is it you ask? Oh just a little hint of something new. I'll be back in about 24 hours with the news part of the update.

[MAR 25] SoulTracks.com computed the top 100 disco songs as per the poll they ran last week. #1 was Shame by Evelyn Champagne King, followed by Last Dance by Donna. All told, Donna ended up with 7 songs on the list scattered pretty evenly throughout the list. I'd have to go look again, but I don't think anyone had as many songs on the final list. 

[MAR 25] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a nice mention in an interview with Kristine W. (You will want to scroll down near the bottom for the Donna reference.)

[MAR 25] Spring is in the air so I guess everyone's creative juices are starting to flow. Two websites have popped up with fan created portraits of Donna. Star-Portraits.com has a few, and so does Lavenderpopin.blogspot.com.

[MAR 25] On YouTube, look for Last Dance from The Midnight Special, Glen Rivera's Restructured mix of Queen For A Day, and Winter Melody from Soul Train.

[MAR 18] Happy belated St. Patrick's Day everyone! (I hope all the green food you are was stuff that was supposed to be green and not random things that crawled out from the back of the refrigerator!  ;-) )

[MAR 18] Soultracks.com has a poll for the best disco songs. There are a couple of Donna songs scattered in the list, but there is still time to influence the final results. Votes will be accepted until March 21, so get those mice clicking!

[MAR 18] LipstickAlley.com is asking posters if they prefer Donna or Chaka Khan. The thread starts with a bunch of photos and videos for both women, and that makes the discussion worth the look by itself. As far as the voting goes - no surprises there. Donna fans prefer Donna and Chaka fans prefer Chaka.  LOL

[MAR 18] Moving on to YouTube, look for Reflections from Divas 2000, Fernando's video for Driving Down Brazil, On The Radio from the 1980 TV Special, and an audio clip of Der Wasserman from Haare.

[MAR 11] There is a new interview on bugsburnett.blogspot.com that I'm sure you will want to look at.

[MAR 11] Internet radio fans, allgold.ie plays a bunch of Donna, particularly if you hit them at the right times. 

[MAR 11] Google has launched Google Play. Donna is represented in the music branch of the service (of course!) and the really cool thing is that Bad Girls Deluxe is available and it costs less than the regular Bad Girls album.

[MAR 11] In the "now I feel old" category - it's been exactly 20 years since Donna received her star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. (How is it even possible that 20 years have passed?  LOL)

[MAR 11] The Time-Life people have issued yet another music compilation. This one is called We Love The Nightlife and it's either 9 or 17 CDs (depending which collection you pick) of classic dance music from the 70s and early 80s.  The really cool thing is that there is a 30 minute TV commercial for it that gets listed in TV listings as "Donna Summer, Village People, Gloria Gaynor" and better yet it is frequently abbreviated as just "Donna Summer". (Hey, it got my mom running to tell me there was a Donna Summer show on TV tonight.  LOL)

[MAR 11] In web news, check out this interview from Monte Carlo in 1993 (that's in French, so the language challenged will need to find a cute French buddy to help with the translation  ;-) ). There is also a clip from the BBC Queens Of Disco special - the Donna segment.  :-) I'm not sure how long the BBC will let that one stay up, so watch it soon. In the same category is a clip from The Joy Of Disco. Catch it while you can. Also look for a remix of My Baby Understands, a live clip of Nights In White Satin, and the 12" version of Supernatural Love. 

[MAR 3] The new Summer Fever pick is up. This month it's Live & More Encore. 

[MAR 3] And since I'm here, I might as well do the update.  :-)  Photo hounds are going to love this early photo that someone just found. I'd never seen it before.  That site has a whole bunch more photos, but most of them are from the Crayons tour.

[MAR 3] This past Friday was disco night on BBC4. They ran The Joy Of Disco, Disco At The BBC and Queens Of Disco. UK residents can catch the shows on BBC's iPlayer.

[MAR 3] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in an article from The Guardian called How Disco Changed Music Forever.  She's also briefly mentioned in a short article from The Mirror about BBC4's disco night, and again in another article about the same topic from ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk.

[MAR 3] On Youtube, check out an interesting clip of someone using PhotoShop (or a similar type of program) to paint a portrait of Donna. Also catch the video for State Of Independence, several APAT era live clips from the XXXV Festival de la Canción de Viña, and a Donna vs. Giorgio I Feel Blue mix by Jose Rives.

[FEB 26] Happy Leap Year! The Rock Hall Of Fame just closed a special exhibition on The Women Who Rock. Donna was one of the women they picked to represent the 70s. (Of course looking at the list, I can't help but wonder why more of the women aren't in the Hall Of Fame.)

[FEB 26] BBC4 has a new documentary called The Joy Of Disco. The show covers the years 1969 to 1979 and features an appearance by Giorgio Moroder. In fact the article about the show has a photo of Giorgio with Donna.

[FEB 26] Photo hounds, there is a picture of Donna with Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick, Cissy Houston and a young Whitney Houston on this site. It's attached to a very nice remembrance of Whitney.

[FEB 26] In the world of podcasts, there is one called The Casablanca Radio Show that is about, well Casablanca obviously.  Hmmm... I wonder if we know anyone who was on that label?  ;-)

[FEB 26] On YouTube, look for the DJ Chaipexx mix of I Feel Love, Jeff's Strobe Light mix of Love's About To Change My Heart, and the I Feel Love Rollo and Sister Bliss Tuff Dub.

[FEB 19] Taihisha fans will want to check the Family Matters section below. And I have a new Ken's Korner this week that marks the passing of Whitney Houston. 

[FEB 19] Moving on to Donna, a very flattering blog post turned up this week that I'm sure you'll want to check out. 

[FEB 19] The death of Whitney Houston has got people talking about other divas as well, and in one case it inspired someone to take another look at Donna's autobiography. He's posted a new review on Amazon. (Look for the review from February 14, 2012 - just in case that's not still the one on top when you go there.)

[FEB 19] And in the ass backwards category, there is an article about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approving licenses for nuclear power plants in Georgia. The article is followed by a number of responses - one of which is entitled "Disco's Dead, Nuclear Power shouldn't be." Yeah Donna gets a brief mention in that response  - and the only thing I have to say to that is that I'll take music over nukes any day. 

[FEB 19] On Youtube, look for the Glen Rivera Restructured mix of Need A Man Blues, a video for All Through The Night that used classic movie footage, the Baby Jupiter Mix of Love To Love You, and MacArthur Park live in Japan from 1979.

[FEB 12] It looks like my virus problem is gone.  :-)  Thanks for all who provided feed back. Also thanks to al of you who have donated to MS for me. It really means a lot to me. For those who haven't yet - there is still plenty of time. I'll keep collecting until about May 6 when the local Race To Erase event is held. That's also when I will select the 2 lucky recipients of the Paul Jabara CDs.

[FEB 12] On a somber note, my deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of Whitney Houston who died suddenly just yesterday. I hope you can all find some consolation in your memories and in the music she left behind. And I hope the media gives her family a chance to mourn in peace. It's hard enough to lose someone you love, how much harder is it when you have cameras stuck in your face 24/7?

[FEB 12] On to Donna. :-)  In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in an article about competitive bike racing of all things. Apparently one team used to train to Donna's music - it helped them keep a steady rhythm. (Hmmm - maybe that will inspire me to get my bike fixed and out on the road again.)

[FEB 12] For those who have been asking about tour dates - sorry, there is no word about anything yet this year. But keep in mind it is still too early for most summer venues (no pun intended  ;-) ) to announce their lineups.

[FEB 12] In web news this week, check out She Works Hard For The Money from Europe (you know half the fun of these old clips is checking out the wardrobe of the dancers), also look at Try Me from 1977, MacArthur Park live from Europe, and an I Feel Love mix.

[FEB 6] Thanks for the feedback on the virus alerts. I've tried removing things on the home page that might be causing the problem, so let me know if it works for you.  :-)  And thank you to those people who have donated to MS already. You guys are great!  :-)

[FEB 5] First things first. It has been brought to my attention that some visitors are receiving virus warnings when they come to the site. Two different people reported two different viruses and one of those people has since reported that he stopped getting warnings when I did the last update.  As far as I can tell, there shouldn't be a problem with the page (my master copy on my computer scans as safe and the copy I downloaded from my server scans as safe) - but to be sure I have removed the interactive Amazon links, my Twitter feed, and the various links to subscribe to my rss feed, bookmark the page, or like me on Facebook. Pretty much anything that was out of my direct control and that might cause false positives.  That should leave us with a very simple news page with little room left to hide any rogue code. Now, if any of you continue to get virus alerts on the page, let me know which page (I've only made changed to this one), the name of the virus (if possible) and what software detected the virus. Thanks for your help.  :-)

[FEB 5] On to Donna!  :-) Billboard.com has proposed a list of 10 female artists that they feel would make good replacements for Paula Abdul and Natalie Scherzinger on X Factor. They list the pros and cons of each of their selections and then invite readers to vote for their favorites in a poll. Currently Donna ranks pretty high.  :-)  (Now that doesn't mean she's going to be offered the job - it just means she has a lot of fans out there that think she'd be great on the show.)

[FEB 5] In the world of private events, Donna is slated to perform at the City Of Hope's 2012 Spirit Of Life Gala.  The event takes place on July 21 at the Mandalay Bay Resort. Proceeds  from the event will benefit City Of Hope, a medical research and treatment facility.

[FEB 5] Moving overseas, Arte TV in Germany ran a special called Die Seventies Style Clash about the rock/disco rivalry in the 70s. They showed a couples of clips of Donna during the show.

[FEB 5] That brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for 4 1992 clips from Belgium posted by summerhasit, and an I Feel Love video.

[FEB 5] And finally on a personal note, I am fundraising again this year with Team CVan to fight Multiple Sclerosis.  As I explained last year, my boss (who is a really cool boss despite the fact that we work from the corporation from hell LOL) was diagnosed with MS. Every night she has to give herself a shot, and every day she battles with exhaustion and a strong sensitivity to heat. All this while running after 2 young kids.  I've signed up as a virtual walker for this year's MS Walk (with the option to really walk if I can get someone to cover my shift.) So if anybody has a little extra cash they'd like to donate to the cause, check out my page on the MS site. I have bribes to back up my request - my top 2 donors will receive copies of Paul Jabara's Keeping Time CD featuring his version of Last Dance and his solo version of Something's Missing. And I might have a little Donna goody to auction at a later date. (Gotta see how I can pull that off on eBay - they have very specific rules about charity auctions.) If any of you would like to "meet" my cool boss - you can check her out all this month at SockItToMe.com.

[FEB 1] Rest in peace Don Cornelius, host of Soul Train. Truly the end of an era. Here is a blast from the Soul Train past.

[FEB 1] The new Summer Fever pick is up. This month it's She Works Hard For The Money in honor of the construction crew at my store that at times seems to be doing the opposite.  (Or maybe I'm just too impatient for the work to be done? ;-)  )

[JAN 29] Another quiet week. Brooklyn fans will want to check the Family Matters section below.

[JAN 29] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in RuPaul's The Soundtrack of My Life on Entertainment Weekly.  The very first song mentioned is Donna's version of MacArthur Park. It was the first song Ru dragged to.

[JAN 29] Over on YouTube, look for the audio only live clips of Hot Stuff, Bad Girls, A Song For You and The Way We Were from a 1979 show in Japan. There is also a vintage video for Winter Melody, a classic clip of Could It Be Magic, the music video for Love Is In Control, and an audio clip of the MAW mix of I Feel Love.

[JAN 22] Unfortunately the only news this week is old news. Or maybe we should call it classic news?  ;-) If you check out Google Books, you can find old issues of Billboard posted for your reading pleasure. These are complete issues with charts, ads and everything. For instance, the June 30, 1979 issue has a nice full page ad... and just a bit of Donna on the charts.  :-) And this one has an interview promoting The Journey. Now of course every issue isn't posted, but there is enough there to keep anyone busy for awhile. You can also check out a 1977 interview with Ebony - complete with photos.

[JAN 22] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Enough Is Enough live in Mexico, the Euronixmix Moroder Megamix, Supernatural Love and I'm Free from Bandstand. (The funky red and green outfit is because the show was actually a Christmas episode.) And finally, check out the white label mix of Bad Girls.

[JAN 22] In classic dance news, Gold Legion has the following titles in stock and ready to ship: Madleen Kane Rough Diamond, Grace Jones Muse and Fame, Vicki Sue Robinson Movin' On, France Joli Witch Of Love, Debbie Harry KooKoo and the compilation Disco Discography Vol 1. Also, Gold Legion will be losing the license to some previous titles this year, so if there is anything you are missing, grab it before it vanishes for good.

[JAN 15] Johnnyswim fans will want to head to the Family Matters section below.

[JAN 15] In the land of politics - Herman Cain is still getting razzed for his Pokémon quote. Of course Donna gets mentioned as the singer of the song. I guess this gives Donna a small place in election history?

[JAN 15] I got a report on Donna's appearance on Top Of The Pops 1977: She didn't sing, but was on at the end of the show, helping to introduce
the No. 1 of the time (JOHNNY MATHIS - WHEN A CHILD IS BORN).

She mentioned her current single was WINTER MELODY , so we ARE going back
a bit, and she looked very young. Her hair was in the style of the image
from the UK (GTO) Greatest Hits cover, and she wore a reddish long dress.

The most interesting thing is that she was wearing a huge silver
belt...that looked familiar.....I had to watch the episode online
again...and get out another Donna album to verify...the belt is from the
cover photo of the Quincy album DONNA SUMMER....so what looked like an
on-trend belt from 82, was actually from 77!!

Who knew!!

Thanks Chris!

[JAN 15] Photo hounds will want to look at the first picture on this page.  If you click it, you can see a larger version.

[JAN 15] That brings us to the web news. Let's start with the reactivation of the Yahoo group: Donna summer A Collection of Images. (That name should say it all!  LOL) Also, Patrice has updated his Donna Summer Pictures blog. Then over on YouTube, look for a live clip of MacArthur Park, a fan-filmed clip of Hot Stuff from the David Foster concert, a Glen Rivers ReStructured mix of Love Is In Control, and an audio clip of How I Feel.

[JAN 8] I guess we can start with a little New Year's Eve news.... as many of you know, Dick Clark does a New Year's Eve show from New York and has for about a million years.  They came up with a list of the top 40 performances from over the years and Donna's 2004 performance of Last Dance came in at #34.

[JAN 8] UK residents -the BBC ran an episode of Top Of The Pops featuring the best of 1977. I'm sure we can al think of a famous Donna Summer song that was out then. UK residents can catch it on iPlayer, while non-UK residents can see a cool little message that says "Ha ha you can't watch this" - or words to that effect anyway.  ;-)

[JAN 8] In the land of photos - check out this 1978 photo that turned up on eBay.

[JAN 8] That brings us to the web news for the week. On YouTube, look for the Def Stunt 2010 mix of I Feel Love, Jandry's 2012 mix of Come With Me, a live clip of Heal Them, and a strangely mirror-imaged clip from Divas 2000 of  Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

[JAN 1] It's a brand new month so that means it's time for a new Summer Fever pick. This time I went with Four Seasons Of Love just because I was in the mood to play it.  :-)

2011

[DEC 31] Happy Donna's Birthday Everyone! (And to those of you celebrating that other very minor holiday that also happens today - Happy New Year!  ;-) )

[DEC 31] With the holidays, there hasn't been a whole lot going on, but of course Donna is getting mentions in newspapers everywhere as they list the celebrity birthdays for the week.  (I've been seeing listings for Brooklyn Sudano too, as her birthday falls on January 5.) In honor of Donna's birthday, Stylelist.com has a slideshow celebrating Donna's looks over the years.

[DEC 31] Recently there was a TV show in Germany on NDR  called Die nacht der Disco stars. Among other stars of the disco era, there were interview clips of Donna (speaking in German), Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltermeyer.

[DEC 31] That brings us to the web. Over on YouTube, look for Jandry's Desire Remix 2011 of Whatever Your Heart Desires, Donna vs. Shapeshifters MacArthur Park, and a slideshow to Je T'Aime.

[DEC 31] I'll be back tomorrow night with the new Summer Fever page.  :-) Now crank up the Donna tunes and bring the new year in right!  :-)

[DEC 21] Happy Hanukah, Happy Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa,  Joyous Festivus, and of course, Happy Thank God Everything Is Done And I Can Just Enjoy. (That day usually falls the day AFTER the holiday you actually celebrate. LOL) The E-Greetings For Donna 2011 is up. Thanks to all who participated.  Sunday is Christmas and I haven't decided yet if I will do the weekly update then or if it will be late. It depends on what news I have and what I'm doing with the family. So if the update is late, don't panic.  :-)  Enjoy your holidays - whichever ones you choose to celebrate. (Hey why not pick all of them and make it one huge party!) And please remember that if you are out drinking please don't drive! I want to see you all safe and sound after the holidays.  :-)

[DEC 18] Let's start with the Rock Hall Of Fame again. Salon.com posted a really interesting article about women in the RHOF. Also of interest is the article underneath it "The Rock Hall Of Fame Whiffs Again."

[DEC 18] Of course if you want to see a REALLY good article, head over to Pop Matters where Christian Wikane lists 10 reasons Donna should be in the RHOF.  (Maybe we should save that book mark and send it to the Hall Of Fame next year when the nominees are selected. ;-) )

[DEC 18] Moving on to music news, Donna has rerecorded a new version of Love To Love You for the new fragrance "Loverdose" by Diesel. Now, you can hear it on YouTube if you'd like, OR... and I think you will like this more... Facebook users can go to the Loverdose Facebook page where clicking "like" will give you a download link. Pretty sweet! (And this is how I end up "liking" stuff that doesn't normally interest me - just throw some Donna Summer at me and I click anything!  LOL)

[DEC 18] In radio news, WNYC did a show about disco music inspired by the RHOF snub of Donna. You can listen to it on the web here.

[DEC 18] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube look for Love To Love You from the Midnight Special, Could It Be Magic from 1976, a mix of MacArthur Park and I Will Go With You, a Donna vs. Yazoo mix of Deep Love Situation, and just for the season, Stampyourfeet's Christmas Spirit video.

[DEC 18] I will be back tomorrow or the next day with the E-Greetings page.  :-)

[DEC 11] First up - I have a new Ken's Korner for you all. In this one he proves he does have a heart... even if he hides it behind a really scary house dress sometimes.  ;-) And secondly - there is only a week left to get in your e-greetings. So you better get writing. (A week? Where did the time go? Excuse me while I panic over all the stuff I haven't taken care of yet!  LOL)

[DEC 11] So I guess the big news is probably already known to most of you. The Rock Hall Of Fame voters blew it again and Donna didn't make the 2012 cut.  Sigh.  Naturally the Hall Of Fame announcement generated a whole bunch of news stories and blog posts. Here are a couple of the more interesting ones:

Salon.com on notable artists who have been snubbed
Slate.com on Disco

Most of the other articles I've run into so far have been just the list of inductees and one notable article complaining that most of the nominees weren't even "real rock and roll".  I suspect we'll see more discussion as time goes by.

[DEC 11] In other news, Herman Cain's Pokémon quote has gained a bit more publicity - especially now that he admits that he's quoting a song from the movie!  LOL Jon Stewart did a whole bit on Herman Cain last week and he included a clip of the Pokémon credits with Donna singing Power Of One over them. (That part of the bit starts at about 4:30.)

[DEC 11] Dutch Radio 2 held a poll asking listeners to vote for their 10 all time favorite songs. The results were compiled into a top 2000 list. Donna made the list 3 times: MacArthur Park (833), State Of Independence (942) and I Feel Love (1302).

[DEC 11] I think that brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for an interview from Las Vegas from a few years ago, The Christmas Song, a live clip of I Remember Yesterday, and an audio clip of Breath Of Heaven.

[DEC 4] Johnnyswim fans will want to check out the big news below.  :-)

[DEC 4] Well the big news in my mail box is political. Herman Cain has suspended his campaign for US President and in his announcement he once again quoted The Power Of One. This time he admitted it was from a Pokémon film, and although he didn't mention Donna by name as the writer, the nine billion news articles did.  :-) Here's a sample from the articles that have turned up online. There are a whole bunch more, but as far as the Donna-connection goes, they all pretty much say the same thing. 

[DEC 4] As we approach the announcement of the Rock Hall Of Fame inductees,  new articles are starting to pop up again. The NY Times had a nice one about the Hall Of Fame in general and I'm told the print edition included a photo of Donna. And he's an older article looking at some of this year's female nominees. 

[DEC 4] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a brief mention in an article extolling the virtues of disco music. (It's an interesting article even without the Donna mention.)

[DEC 4] Also in the Donna is everywhere category, she's mentioned in an article about Rihanna in which Rihanna is called the "Donna Summer for our time." (Silly me, I thought Donna Summer is the Donna Summer for our time.  Rihanna can be the Rihanna for our time.  ;-)  )

[DEC 4] That brings us to the web news for the week. Check out the JCRZ Vanishing mix of Grand Illusion on Soundcloud.  On YouTube, here is a clip of Power Of One for those of you who want to hear the song Herman Cain keeps quoting. Also look for a clip of Donna with Chaka Khan and Gloria Estefan, a mix of Katy Perry vs. Donna on The One That Got Away For The Money, To Paris With Love, and Der Wasserman from Haare.

[DEC 4] And finally - don't forget the deadline for E-Greetings for Donna is December 18. SO get writing!  :-)

[DEC 2] The Summer Fever Pick is up. I bet you can't possibly guess which one it is....  ;-)

[NOV 27] Well, there's not much happening this week at all - I hope it's the lull before the storm. (I'm expecting the Rock Hall Of Fame announcement should come in a couple of weeks - fingers crossed!) In the meantime, in the Donna is everywhere category, vinyl is apparently cool again - at least in some circles.  :-) (Does that make my collection "retro" instead of "old"? ;-) ) There is apparently a guy in Mumbai who has this new cleaning system for vinyl that really restores the sound to an old record. He did a demonstration for a reporter and apparently he picked a Donna Summer record for restoration.  :-) You can read the story here.

[NOV 27] And that brings us to the web news - yes, already! I told you it was a slow week.  LOL On YouTube, check out Glen Rivera's Restructured Mix of Summer Fever, I Cannot Be Silent from Child Of The Promise (audio only), Donna vs. Queen I Feel Love (DMC remix), and No More Tears with Westlife.

[NOV 20] Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  Happy normal day to everyone else.  ;-)

[NOV 20] Announcing E-Greetings for Donna 2011.  :-)  You guys know the drill - send your holiday/birthday message for Donna to me (webmaster @ donna-tribute .com without the spaces of course)  and I'll post them on a page for her to view. Yes you can send photos - but I reserve the right to edit them for size. You can send links to video hosted by YouTube or whatever and I'll add those. If you have your own Donna site and want to make a special page of your own, I'll send those links too. Let's make the deadline December 18 and please try to put "egreetings" or something like that in the title to make it easier to sort the mail. (I wouldn't want to mistake an egreeting for a phishing scam.  ;-) ) Get writing! There will be room on the page for everyone who wants to be a part of it.  :-)

[NOV 20] Let's start with Dan Fogelberg's website. It has a nice show of support on the top of the news page for Donna's possible induction to the Rock Hall Of Fame. There is also a very tantalizing mention of her contribution for the Dan Fogelberg tribute CD. 

[NOV 20] Moving on to David Foster - he got married recently and Donna was among the performers at the reception. You can see a couple of photos from the rehearsal here.

[NOV 20] Donna made a recent Ask Billboard column, It turns out she is one of only 11 acts to send 2 songs to #1 on the Hot 100 while the parent album was #1 on the Top 200 Albums. 

[NOV 20] The Cleveland Plain Dealer held a poll to pick the most popular of this year's crop of Rock Hall nominees. Guns N Roses won, but Donna came in pretty high in the results.

[NOV 20] In the Donna is everywhere category - I unexpectedly found her in my snail mailbox. I got one of those goofy little catalogs that seem to come every day at this time of year and they had a jigsaw puzzle titled "Divas". It's a collage of photos of various divas from movies, music, etc. I was able to track it down online and although the photo is pretty small, you can spot Donna on the far right in about the bottom third of the photo.

[NOV 20] And now for something completely silly... Drinkify.org lets you put in the name of any artist and it will suggest the appropriate beverage. If you put in Donna's name it tells you Red Bull on the rocks with a garnish of celery. That makes more sense than some of the other names I put in....

[NOV 20] That brings us to the web news for the week. Look for an interview with Nile Rodgers where he talks a little about Donna and Giorgio Moroder. Then check out Ruud's extended version of Whispering Waves,  an audio only clip of Ordinary Miracle, and Glen Rivera's ReStructured mix of Wasted. 

[NOV 20] And finally, Mark Tara fans should go check out his website for a free copy of his new Christmas single, Santa.  And Gold Legion customers will be happy to discover that  the Disco Discography compilation (featuring 7 minutes of Donna's With Your Love) and Debbie Harry's  Kookoo are in stock and shipping out. I got mine yesterday.

[NOV 13] Let's start off with Rock Hall Of Fame News - one of the eligible voters is none other than Goldmine Magazine. And they are allowing their readers to influence their vote. So if you head to the Goldmine website, pick your favorites in their poll and we'll see what happens.  :-)

[NOV 13] In the Donna is everywhere category - she gets a mention in an interview with sax player Steve Cadd. You will want to see the end of the article.

[NOV 13] Believe it or not, that brings us to YouTube. Check out the classic live clip from Japan of Fairy Tale High/Faster And Faster, an extended mix of Carry On, Andy's Slide Over Mix Mix of Slide Over Backwards, the My Man Medley from Japan, Forgive Me, and for the dub fans out there, the Sudden Death Dub of I Will Go With You.

[NOV 6] Johnnyswim fans will want to check the Family Matters section below.  :-) So will Brooklyn Sudano fans.

[NOV 6] In the Donna is everywhere category, she's come up again in discussions of Herman Cain's candidacy. (No, he didn't sexually harass her!  LOL) As you may remember, he has quoted lyrics from Power Of One in the past. Well, news commentator Rachel Maddow had some things to say about that and played a short clip from the song. You can see it on YouTube.

[NOV 6] Also in the Donna is everywhere category, she gets mentioned as a fashion icon in an article about  Kelly Rowland. 

[NOV 6] And in the Donna's music is everywhere category, a contestant sang On The Radio on the German X Factor this week. You can see it here. 

[NOV 6] Those of you following the annual Rock Hall of Fame press, might be interested in this Pop Matters article. There is no mention of Donna, but it's an interesting look at the criticisms of the RHOF.

[NOV 6] Finally, in the land of YouTube, Fernando has put together a video with Mae West and Donna's music. The song is Try Me - and II think Mae would have approved of that choice!  LOL For something a little unusual, check out the Donna Summer Scrapbook #1 video. Then check out the gospel medley from an old variety show featuring Donna, Tom Jones, Mac Davis and Dolly Parton. And if you still have some free time, look at  Bring Down The Reign (Jandry's Bring The Mix Mix), Glen Rivera's Restructure Mix of Mystery Of Love, and Happy Popper's mix of Whatever Your Heart Desires.

[NOV 1] It's another new month, so it's time for another Summer Fever Pick. This month we look at I Remember Yesterday.

[OCT 30] Happy Halloween! I thought about trying to scare you all for the occasion by saying something freaky like Donna was going to retire from recording - but then I realized that many of you know where to find me and they you would hunt me down and force me to listen to the Shout It Out collection over and over again.  LOL

[OCT 30] Before we get to Donna - Brooklyn Sudano fans will want to look at the Family Matters section below.

[OCT 30] Let's start with eBay. We have another script from the 1980 TV Special up for auction. This one is a little damaged, but it is autographed. It's also a little pricey, but hey - sometimes to get unusual things you have to be willing to pay.  :-) And the seller is tossing in a DVD copy of the special made from the edited master tape of the show.

[OCT 30] In the Donna is everywhere category, she got mentioned in the TV show Supernatural. The episode titled Slash Fiction (which aired Friday) had the line, "The quickest climb up the chart since Donna Summer." :-) Also in the Donna is everywhere category, look for one of her songs in the video game Dance Central 2 (for Xbox 360 and Kinect).

[OCT 30] That brings us to the web news for the week. In the world of blogs, look for the return of TheBestSingerDonnaSummer.blogspot.com with photos from the David Foster concert.  The blog is written in Portuguese, so if that's not your best language you might need to use a translator. (ON a side note, how can you not love anything called "The Best Singer Donna Summer"?  ;-) ) Over on YouTube, look for stampyurfeet's Halloween video for Cats Without Claws (it's pretty cool but I think most of those cats do have claws!  LOL) , the Hot Summer Night hit medley, the Marc Andrews Chops And Mash mix of I Feel Love, the Disco Purrfection edit of Need A Man Blues, and the Steve Lischinsky mix of Our Love. 

[OCT 30] I will be back in a day or 2 with the Summer Fever pick after the invasion of little goblins tomorrow.  :-)

[OCT 23] There's not much of anything happening this week, so lets look at the recent past for a minute. There was an auction on ebay recently for the original script from Donna's 1980 TV special. The auction was pulled by the seller before anyone could bid on it, but the listing is still viewable. There are photos of several of the pages, and if you look closely you can see mentions of things that had been tentatively planned but that never made it to the screen. 

[OCT 23] Studio Brussel polled its listeners and came up with the top 100 dance tracks. I Feel Love is at #99

[OCT 23] In the land of Facebook, Donna's page has surpassed 100,000 likes. Let's see how long it takes to double that.  ;-)

[OCT 23] In the Donna is everywhere category - there is a a Tribute to Giorgio Moroder posted on Studio Brussel. It's a nice long medley of Giorgio's music and I think you can guess which singer is pretty well represented in that medley.  ;-) 

[OCT 23] That brings us to the web. On YouTube look for clips from the 1980 TV special, an I Feel Love Megamix by Patrick Cowley, Hot Stuff live on the Dinah Shore Show,  Hot Stuff live again from a TV show that was filmed about 2 decades later, and finally, Stor Dubine's very entertaining video for Does He Love You.

[OCT 16] Let's start off with something a little silly. The Icon CD that has been postponed indefinitely had made an appearance (of sorts) at my local Target store. My Facebook friends probably saw this already, but here is the picture I took while shopping. It's amazing how much Donna looks like the Temptations in that cover photo....   LOL On a more serious note, there is still no release date and with a price that low you know it's going to be just the basic hits.

[OCT 16] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a brief mention in a profile of artist Loring Cornish.  He's one of us.  ;-) She also gets mentioned in an article about the best dance movies of all time. #20 is The Full Monty and mentioned in particular is the scene where the guys start dancing to Hot Stuff while on the dole line. (On a side note, #19 is Flashdance which also contains a Donna song.... but the article didn't mention that. It was more interested in the dance under the showerhead.)

[OCT 16] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Nights In White Satin, Andy's Dancing All Night Mix of It's Only Love, The EuroNixMix French Kiss Remix of I Feel Love/Love To Love You Baby, and Sunset People and Bad Girls from the 1980 TV Special. And finally for those of you who just don't have time to listen to a whole long version of I Feel Love, here is a speeded up version - all it needs is a couple of cartoon chipmunks on backup.  ;-) (And no, I couldn't get through the whole thing - sped up vocals drive me nuts and not in a good way!  LOL) 

[OCT 9] Let's start with the Rock Hall Of Fame again. We have a nice article posted on TriValleyCentral.com.  One word of advice though - there is a little slideshow on the right side of that page. Put it on pause before you start reading. One of the photos is significantly taller than the others and it makes the text jump every time the slideshow cycles from small to big (or big to small.) Also, don't forget the Hall Of Fame website is polling visitors on their choices for induction. Looking at the list it got me to thinking - wouldn't it be cool for Donna to be inducted the same year as the Red Hot Chili Peppers? They could jam on I Feel Love together. 

[OCT 9] HamptonRoads.com has an excellent article about Once Upon A Time. 

[OCT 9] Boston.com is posting a series of articles on the "Boston 100" - the greatest songs from Boston. (That would be Boston the city not Boston the band.  ;-) ) Coming in at #37 is Bad Girls. They've been posting the songs in random order, so you can check out the selections posted so far here.

[OCT 9] Moving on to release news - as many of you know, Donna put down some vocals for an Omega Red track called Angel. Look for that to come out sometime next year as a single.

[OCT 9] Some of you remember that we were expecting a compilation out called Icon. Well, there is currently no release date, but people have found empty slots for the CD in Target stores here and there across the country. (or maybe they are not empty and the CD is actually invisible?  ;-) )

[OCT 9] I think that brings us to the web news for the week. On YouTube look for Hot Stuff from the David Foster concert and a white label mix of MacArthur Park. Also for you ladies out there (and some of you men too... or maybe I have that backwards?  ;-) ) somebody paired To Paris With Love with a slideshow of male models. (I must be getting old - some of those models look like babies to me.  LOL)

[OCT 2] First things first, the new Summer Fever Pick is up. This month we celebrate the Donna Summer album.

[OCT 2] So there is no news this week, none at all.... well, except for this one tiny little thing. ;-) Donna's been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame again this year. It's only been reported in one or two (billion) articles this week. (There is nothing like opening up my Google news alerts folder and finding tons of articles turning up each day with Donna's name!)  The complete list of nominees is as follows: The Cure, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Heart, Freddie King, The Small Faces, The Spinners, The Beastie Boys, Donovan, Laura Nyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers, War, Erik B & Rakim, Guns N Roses, Rufus & Chaka Khan, and of course Donna.  This is the fourth time Donna has been nominated and hopefully this will be the year. (After all these nominationa, I'm getting really good at typing with all my fingers crossed.  LOL)

As I said before, there have been about a billion articles announcing the nominees. Here are a few of the ones that have something more to say than just a mere list of names:

Charlotte Observer
The Sun News
UCSD Guardian
Cleveland.com (there is also a poll where fans can vote for their favorites)
FutureRockLegends.com
Fox News (that just has a poll)
VH1 (also just a poll)

Look for plenty more articles to show up in the weeks to come.  :-)

[OCT 2] In other news, Donna just performed at David Foster's show in Vegas. Photos are up at Getty Images (with larger versions at Zimbio.com). There is an article on LasVegasWeekly.com (where they say Donna stole the show) with a few more pictures.

[OCT 2] I have one more thing that's not strictly Donna-related. The Boardwalk Entertainment Group is making a biopic about Neil Bogart (who I'm sure you all remember was the head honcho at Casablanca Records.) Justin Timberlake has been tapped to play Neil and the movie will be called Spinning Gold. You can read about it here.  There is no word yet on who else will be in it, or when they hope to start production.

[OCT 2] That brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for clips of On The Radio and Last Dance  from the David Foster concert last night. (They are shot from pretty far away so they are really only good for the audio.) Also look for Fernando's video for Autumn Changes,  EuroNixMix Donna Summer Mix 1 and Mix 2.

[SEP 25] So tonight's top news is David Foster & Friends. There will be more concerts at Mandalay Bay this autumn - one on October 1 and one on November 25. Now David Foster's website doesn't list performers yet, but his Facebook page mentions Donna as being part of the October 1 show. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

[SEP 25] In classic news um news (now that sounds like an oxymoron  LOL) - Google lets you search out news archives and if you search for Donna, you can find articles from as far back as 1978. (Warning - some of them are presented as scans of the original newspaper pages, and some are pay-per-view only.) I've been nosing through some of them and I found this one about There Goes My Baby that I thought you might enjoy. (This one is free to view and it's presented as a normal web page so it should be accessible to my visually impaired readers with whatever technology you usually use.)

[SEP 25] That brings us to the web. On YouTube, look for a clip of Donna presenting an award at the 1976 AMAs, the interview clip from her appearance as host of American Bandstand, Donna's interview with the Brooklyn Dreams from the same show, Donna picking up the 1979 Disco Female AMA award, the Disco Album award, and the Disco Single AMA award (she brings Paul Jabara up to accept with her), and finally the most frightening thing I can imagine... someone who has mistaken Donna's song, I Love You, with the theme song from the kids' show Barney. (I should explain that I have never recovered from being tortured at my job with Barney videos one Christmas when he was the hottest thing ever for kids.) Moving back to something way more fun, but not Donna related at all, there is a cool clip of Paul Jabara from American Bandstand on YouTube.

[SEP 19] So, uh, this week... really nothing happening.  LOL Let's go right to YouTube. Look for a rare clip of  Could It Be Magic, audio for all the Lady Of The Night tracks courtesy of athp123, an extended version of Love's Unkind, and a strange but clever mashup of Mc Hammer, Eurythmics, New Order,Talking Heads and Donna. (They mixed not only the music, but the actual visuals from the videos too and came up with something pleasantly demented.)

[SEP 19] In classic dance news, Gold Legion has Grace Jones' Fame slated for October 28 and Muse for November 30. And on October 17 Gold Legion plans to issue their first compilation Disco Discography 1. It will include tracks by Cheryl Lynn, Bonnie Pointer, Norma Jean Wright, Goody Goody, Two Tons Of Fun, Ren Woods, Jackie Moore, Stargard, Sylvester, Gonzalez, and Donna with a 7 and a half minute version of With Your Love. There will be a 16 page booklet with notes by Christian John Wikane.

[SEP 11] Happy Sunday everyone. As you can see it is September 11, but I'm not going to say anything about the anniversary because of something important I learned after the attacks 10 years ago. And that is, it's not healthy to allow yourself to immerse yourself too much in tragedy. At some point you need to take a break from all the coverage and focus on something else - even if it's only for a short time. The break makes it easier to cope and to think rationally about things. So to all my friends who have been glued to the memorial services all day - consider this your break.   :-) 

[SEP 11] On to Donna. :-) She got a mention on the Regis & Kelly show this week as Regis talked about David Foster's dinner party. You can see what Regis had to say here. (Just select Tuesday September 6 and skip ahead to about 6:15)

[SEP 11] In the Donna is everywhere category, her music gets mentioned several times in a satirical report about the recent Republican debate.

[SEP 11] It's getting to be Rock Hall Of Fame season, and Goldmine has an article on the people they feel should be inducted. Read the paragraph right before the one on the East Street Band.  :-)

[SEP 11] I think that brings us to the web news for the week. On YouTube look for Take Heart - a song that was originally recorded to raise money for a girls charity, but that got adopted shortly after 9/11 by people looking for comfort.  Also look for a mix of Now I Need You, a mix of I Feel Love, and a slideshow set to Last Dance. (That last one is nothing new and different with the music, but it uses a lot of very pretty nature shots.)

[SEP 4] So if you followed me on Twitter or Facebook this week, you know I survived Hurricane Irene. (Actually it was more like a tropical storm by the time it hit me.) There was no damage to my property and I didn't even lose power! YAY!  But my friend who lives about 3 miles away was not quite so lucky. Her property was under 2 feet of water for awhile, but fortunately the house itself stayed dry. (Her husband is a fisherman - he probably liked the chance to fish from comfort of his living room....   ;-) ) 

[SEP 4] So moving on to news. Johnnyswim fans will want to check the Family Matters section below. So will Brooklyn Sudano fans. And - a few days late - I have updated the Summer Fever page. This month we look at All Systems Go - finally updated to streaming MP3 format. 

[SEP 4] And moving on to the diva herself.... let's start with release news. (Or lack there of....) The Icon CD compilation has a new release date according to Amazon.com. This should make you laugh... they say December 31, 2020. Yes, I said 2020.  LOL  It's still listed for October 25 according to CD Universe, but I'd say it's probably been postponed indefinitely. Of course if you are willing to wait for 2020, Amazon will email you when/if they get it in if you ask them to.

[SEP 4] There is a Dan Fogelberg tribute CD in the works being produced by Norbert Putnam. In a recent interview, it is stated that Donna will be one of the contributing artists on the disk. (You will want to go to page 4 to see that.) I've seen lots of mentions online of the tribute CD, but no one has a track list or a full list of contributing artists yet. So stay tuned.

[SEP 4] In the Donna's music is everywhere category... and in the remix category, Diesel's Loverdose fragrance is using a mix of Love To Love You in its ad campaign. Supposedly the remix will be made available some time in the future. But I know you guys are too impatient and want to hear at least a bit of it now. So check out the ad here.   :-)

[SEP 4] In the Donna is everywhere category, she recently attended a dinner given by David Foster. Also in attendance were Barbra Streisand, Dr. Phil and a number of other people. No Donna and Barbra didn't suddenly burst out into Enough Is Enough. (Although think of the possibilities... David Foster asks is anyone would like more coffee, Donna and Barbra both say no and suddenly launch into a chorus of Enough Is Enough while Dr. Phil sits there and tells them how messed up that is. LOL Yes I have a twisted imagination.) You can read a non-imaginary account of the dinner here. 

[SEP 4] I think that brings us to the web news. Check out TheDJDiscoCat for a few remixes of classic tracks and a TV performance of She Works Hard For The Money. 

[AUG 26] Well, this update is a bit early because my area is currently under a hurricane warning. So I expect that I will probably have no electricity Sunday night. And no electricity means no internet, which means I'll be curled up in some corner shaking from withdrawal!  LOL I will try to keep in touch via Twitter and/or Facebook.

[AUG 26] Ken fans (or enemies  LOL) - he's sent me a new Ken's Korner that talks about the recent passing of Nick Ashford, among other things.

[AUG 26] If you are in New York today, don't forget to check out Taihisha at Feinstein's At The Lowes Regency at 8:30 tonight. And if you are going, applaud for me because I'm stuck here.  :-(

[AUG 26] Sadly, that brings us to the web news. (I blame the hurricane - it blew the Donna news off the web.  LOL) On You Tube, check out this television show clip. At about the 11 minute mark, you can see a classic poster on the wall. You can find several new mixes by HarryPopper. And this one's not new, but it's nice to watch again: Donna's live cover of Don't Rain On My Parade. (A perfectly fitting song for the forecast!  LOL)

[AUG 26] In classic dance news, Gold Legion had Paul Jabara's Keeping Time in stock. I have mine in my hot little hands right now and it was worth the wait.  :-)

[AUG 26] Finally - for those of you in the path of the storm: take care of yourselves. Don't do anything stupid like surfing in the storm, stock up on all the needed essentials (soda, chips, chocolate.... oh yeah and don't forget the less essential items like water, batteries and medications.) Keep an eye on the news to track the progress of the storm and to see how many weathermen are tied to trees so they can report live on the weather conditions. (And I thought my job sucked!  LOL) And most importantly of all, while you have power get that ipod charged up so  you can crank some Donna tunes! See you on the other side!  :-)

[AUG 21] Let's start with radio news. For those of you still mourning the almost total demise of Sirius XM's The Strobe (it's still there but only accessible on the web with the right subscription package), you can now check out Studio 54 in channel 15. It is what the name implies - Studio 54 translated to radio. (Which means all the great music without the velvet ropes! LOL) You will hear a fair amount of Donna playing on it - usually long versions of the songs. The first time I tuned in I heard some Giorgio Moroder right off the bat, so I was happy.  :-)

[AUG 21] In copyright news, it looks like artists from the late 70s will soon have their chance to reclaim their song rights from the record companies. A revision in the law made in the mid-70s allows for what they call "termination of rights" 35 years after a work was recorded. Music from 1978 will be the first affected by this change. What this means to the artists is that they can in effect tell the labels to suck it unless they want to negotiate a licensing arrangement. At least that's how it will work in THEORY. In practice, I suspect there will plenty of lawyers getting rich off the copyright battles. (I'm telling you - if you are a lawyer in the US, start thinking about making your specialty copyright law. You might end up set for life!  LOL)  The NY Times has an interesting article about the whole "termination of rights" thing.

[AUG 21] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, I Feel Love will be featured in the Ubisoft game Just Dance 3 available for the Wii and XBox. Look for that October 11.

[AUG 21] That brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for Fernando's Once Upon A Time megamix part II, Heaven's Just A Whisper Away from the UK, Patrice's I Feel Love vocal extended mix, and a 1977 performance of I Feel Love from Venezuela.

[AUG 21] Classic dance fans, Gold Legion now has Paul Jabara's Keeping Time in stock. That's the one with his versions of Last Dance and Something's Missing.

[AUG 14] Let's start with... umm.. politics. I hate politics so it's best to get that over with.  ;-)  Herman Cain, one of the 4 million Republican Presidential hopefuls, said this in his closing remarks: "A poet once said, 'life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line.'" I'm sure many of you recognize those words as being lyrics from The Power Of One which was the closing theme to one of the Pokémon movies. (It was sung by Donna but written by other people.) I guess he's aiming for the really young voters?  ;-) (Actually, this isn't the first time he's quoted the lyrics - check out the video clips posted here.) 

[AUG 14] On to fun things - remixes! As many of you know, PerfectBeat came out with a couple of compilations that include the To Paris With Love mixes. There is one small problem though - I'm told most of the mixes are mislabeled. The CDs in question are the DMC Dance Mixes Extra Vol. 6 and Vol. 7. Let's go down the list:

Volume 6: The one labeled WaWa Extended is  really DJ DLG Lazor Disco Mix, the one labeled Craig C Master Blaster is really the WaWa Extended, the one labeled Automatic Panic Remix is really the Mendy Club mix and the David Herrero Vocal Mix is really just exactly that.  :-) 

Volume 7: The Eddie Amador Break It Down Remix is really Craig C's Master Blaster, The DJ DLG Lazor Disco Mix is really the Eddie Amador Remix, the Mendy Club Mix is the Automatic Panic Remix, and the Uner Remix is correct.

So the bottom line, is if you are looking for one particular mix on the compilations be very careful about which one you buy.  Or if you are buying both compilations anyway because you are a collector, you might want to put a little note with your CD so you remember which mix is really which. Thanks to John for taking the time to sort all that out for me.

[AUG 14] In release news, look for the new song, Angel, by Omega Red in October. It features a certain diva we all know and love.

[AUG 14] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in an interview with Linda Clifford. You can read (or even listen to it) on SoulMusic.com.

[AUG 14] And that brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for Donna's performance 2008 performance on American Idol, a TV performance of I Will Go With You, and The Wanderer from Tomorrow Coast To Coast.

[AUG 7] In release news the Icon compilation [Amazon, Amazon UK] has been pushed back to October 25. Amazon STILL has no track list which is not the least bit surprising. My guess is that perhaps the label is planning to do something with the whole line of Icon CDs for the Christmas shopping season so it makes sense to have something "new" come out then. Of course, I reserve the right to be COMPLETELY wrong.  LOL

[AUG 7]  The Advocate came up with its list of favorite disco tracks. Donna made the list twice with Last Dance and Enough Is Enough. (I haven't heard some of those other tracks listed in a long, long time - it might be time to dust off some old vinyl!  :-) )

[AUG 7] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, Bad Girls gets quoted briefly in the NY Times' Social Q column.

[AUG 7] And believe it or not that brings us to the web news. (Just in time too - thunderstorms almost knocked my power out just now!) On YouTube look for a new classic clip of Could It Be Magic, a mix of If It Hurts Just A Little, Shut Out/Heaven Is A Disco (read the uploader's comments too) and Andy's Hot Summer Video edit. Also check out Sebastiano's Donna Summertime site. He's updated the People Talk page a little and thrown in some cool photos.

[AUG 1] Time for a new Summer Fever pick. This month we go back to Cats Without Claws.

[JUL 31] Let's start in the land of flash mobs - because everybody like a good flash mob, right?  ;-)  This one was for a cause (instead of just for entertainment) and it was comprised of about 20 union workers in Australia singing She Works Hard For The Money outside an electorate office. The performance was part of a push for equal pay, so I'd say they picked the right song.  However maybe next time they could throw in some choreography too. They could just copy the choreography from the video if they can't come up with something of their own.  :-)

[JUL 31] Moving on to dance music.  A survey conducted by the electronic music festival Global Gathering, came up with the 10 top dancefloor filling songs. I Feel Love came in at #5.

[JUL 31] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets name-checked in a Lady Gaga review where the writer mentioned that Lady GaGa has discovered her inner Donna Summer.

[JUL 31] That brings us to the web news for the week. I'm sure most of you will want to check out the new Last Dance, Smile, Enough Is Enough, Dim All The Lights, La Vie En Rose, On The Radio, and She Works Hard For The Money videos from Art On Ice on YouTube. They were all posted by the Art On Ice organization so they are good quality with a nice mix of shots of the skaters and shots of Donna.

[JUL 31] Finally, Gold Legion customers - they have Vicki Sue Robinson's Half & Half, Linda Clifford's I'll Keep On Loving You and Jellybean's Wotupski in stock now. Paul Jabara's Keeping Time is expected August 4. I'll be back tomorrow night with a new Summer Fever pick.

[JUL 24] Taihisha fans should jump down to the Family Matters section below.  :-)

[JUL 24] Let's start with a Donna sighting in San Francisco. (Maybe  I need to rephrase that - it make Donna sound like the Loch Ness monster or a UFO or something.  LOL)  Anyway, she was a guest at the Festival del Sole Gala. You can read about it here, or check out a photo of Donna and David Foster here.  Subscribers to the San Francisco Chronicle got to see that photo in the newspaper today. (It's in the Style section.)

[JUL 24] Moving overseas, there is a German documentary series called Queens Of Pop running on the Arte TV channel. They had an episode about Donna (of course!) which I will talk a little more about in a minute. She was also quoted in the Diana Ross and Madonna episodes where she had nice things to say about both Divas. (Sorry Ken!  ;-) ) Now getting back to Donna's episode, I'm told it was very positive on the whole. They apparently messed up a couple of details here and there, and they sometimes focused more her social impact than her music, but they wrapped it up nicely at the end with this quote from Nile Rodgers: "Donna Summer is magic. And history didn’t treat her all the time kindly. Many people don’t see her as what she is, a genius, genius artist. She is beyond just a pop, R&B, soul, disco diva. She is an avantgarde, revolutionary artist." You can read about the show and watch a clip here. That link is all German, but if French is better for you, use this link instead. (Yes the video clip changes language too.)

[JUL 24] In the land of remixes, the Patrick Cowley mix of I Feel Love came in at #7 on NME.com's list of the Top 50 mixes.

[JUL 24] That brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for the King & Little Steven Gypsy Classic Remix of Someday, and a Hot Stuff vs. Bad Girls mix, 

[JUL 24] Gold Legion customers - they now have the Linda Clifford CD in stock.

[JUL 20] And now for the secret link to the pics of Donna and Omega Red. (The link only appears after someone says the magic words: "Dummy, you forgot the link!"  LOL)

[JUL 17] Let's start off with new music. Donna has teamed up with her nephew Omega Red for a track called Angel for his forthcoming album. You can check out pictures of them in the studio . (It looks like they were having an awful lot of fun!)

[JUL 17] In the not so new music category, Perfect Beat is selling a compilation called DMC Dance Mixes Extra Vol. 6 that includes 4 of the To Paris With Love mixes. 

[JUL 17] JamaicaObserver.com has a feature on icons with strong fashion identities.  Their most recent article in the series focuses on Donna around 1976. In it they explain how they replicated Donna's style on their model.

[JUL 17] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in Billboard's Chartbeat in a column about songs written by big name artists that were made hits by someone else. She gets another mention in an interview with Kristine W where she recalls watching Donna sing Last Dance in Thank God It's Friday.

[JUL 17] In the Donna can't be everywhere category, AtlanticCityWeekly.com has a photo of the current Legends In Concert cast - including their "Donna Summer."

[JUL 17] And that brings us to the web news. On YouTube check out the Gladys Knight vs. Aretha vs. Donna clip of The Way We Were. The guy who uploaded it asked viewers to comment on who had the best version (of those 3) and Donna seemed to be getting the most votes. The same poster also presented Donna vs. Aretha on MacArthur Park. There the voting seemed more split which may be due to the vastly different styles they used and the fact that they didn't use Donna's studio version. Also look for the EuroNixMix Moroder Years Mega Mix, and a clip from a UK Disco Top Ten show.

[JUL 10] Let's start off with BWCityPaper.com's This Week In Music feature. In it, they mention that I Feel Love held the top spot on the UK charts for a month. The article is accompanied by a vintage picture of Donna with Giorgio Moroder.

[JUL 10] There is a new article about the David Foster CD posted by Inquirer.net.

[JUL 10] In The Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in the new memoir Transparent [Amazon, Amazon UK] by CNN correspondent Don Lemon. In it, he remembers dancing to the disco music of the 70s and mentions that he is still a fan of Donna.

[JUL 10] In a more unusual news item, apparently there was a plan back in the day to make a movie starting a comic book character called Dazzler who was a roller-skating mutant disco diva. Part of the movie pitch involved getting various guest stars to play roles in the film. It was suggested that Donna would play the Queen of Fire. You can read more about it here. (Sounds like one freaky movie to me!  LOL)

[JUL 10] That brings us to the web news for the week. On YouTube look for the Royalty Mix tribute to Donna, a Donna megamix, a 1987 interview, and of course the ever popular clip of I Will Survive where Donna manages to sound EXACTLY like Gloria Gaynor.  ;-)

[JUL 2] Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends and Happy Fourth to my American friends! Happy weekend to everyone else.  :-)

[JUL 2] This week is pretty much dead as far as news goes. I blame the holidays. The really big news for the week was that Johnnyswim was playing in my area and I had to work! Ugh! (Somebody get me the winning lottery numbers - I gotta give up this working for a living stuff!  LOL) There is an interesting interview from last summer posted here. 

[JUL 2] For those who are interested in site archives, the Internet Wayback machine can show you what a given site looked like at some point in the past. For instance, this is what Donna's old site looked like in 1999. And to my horror.. I have even found a VERY early archive of my site.  LOL

[JUL 2] Moving on to YouTube, we have a mix of No More Tears, a mix of State Of Independence, and a really cool Donna vs. Sting mashup of Someone To Watch Over Me.

[JUL 2] Gold Legion customers - this is what the latest release schedule looks like (in case you didn't get their email): Vicki Sue Robinson's Half And Half is expected July 8, Linda Clifford's I'll Keep On Loving You follows on July 15 and Paul Jabara's Keeping Time is expected July 29.

[JUN 26] Congrats (and it's about freaking time!) to all my gay friends in NY - I think the wedding planners are going to be VERY busy for awhile!  ;-)

[JUN 26] Johnnyswim fans will want to check the Family Matters section below. 

[JUN 26] Calling USA Comcast-Xfinity subscribers - you can catch Donna in Platinum Hit on demand for free. So if you missed the broadcast, you can catch it again at your leisure.

[JUN 26] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets mentioned in the new Blondie Panic Of Girls fan pack. Debbie Harry mentions being a fan of Donna and Giorgio and particularly of I Feel Love. 

[JUN 26] Also in the Donna is everywhere category, America's Got Talent recently featured a drag queen named Hershae Chocolatae who danced to Last Dance. (Yes, it's on YouTube.) And she gets a mention in the Orlando Sentinel in an article about famous entertainers who got their start in Hair. 

[JUN 26] In the Donna can't be everywhere category, we have Legends In Concert at Foxwoods featuring tributes to Carrie Underwood, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Celine Dion and of course Donna. (Do I need to mention that Legends features impersonators? It's probably pretty obvious since Frank Sinatra has been dead for some time which makes him REALLY hard to book.  ;-) ) I should point out that there are 2 Legends lineups this summer - the one with the tribute to Donna starts August 2.

[JUN 26] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube look for a remix of Could It Be Magic, Glen Rivera's I Feel Love Restructure mix, Parede fo Kings feat. Donna Summer Feel My Pulse, and the Fire Island Remix of Who Do You Think You're Fooling.

[JUN 19] Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  :-) Unfortunately it's a pretty slow week this time.

[JUN 19] I Feel Love gets a mention in The Guardian as one of the 50 key event sin the history of dance music. Check out the whole timeline here.

[JUN 19] We have a couple of new books out there about dance music. The first is Disco: The Music, The Times, The Era [Amazon, Amazon UK] about, well.... the disco era obviously.  ;-) The other is The Record Players: DJ Revolutionaries [Amazon, Amazon UK], and that is of course, about the guys who spin the disks. 

[JUN 19] And that brings us to the web news. On YouTube, look for Glen Rivera's Restructured mix of Autumn Changes,  fan-made videos for The Wanderer tracks by orpheus4u, and a Patrice video for Are You Brave.

[JUN 12] Let's start off with a tiny omission from last week. I mentioned a new Donna Summer Persona for Firefox and forgot to give you a working link to check it out. Well here is the link.  While I was grabbing that link, I discovered a Bad Girls Persona I had never found before. That one is here.

[JUN 12] On to the news. As many of you know, Donna was on Platinum Hit last week. The episode is now available for sale on iTunes for 1.99. (You want the episode called Dance Floor Royalty.) There is also a short interview with Donna on the Bravo site - and I should tell you now that it was filmed last year. (That's when the show was in production.) Now I know international fans are having trouble seeing the Bravo videos. (I totally understand the frustration - been there done that myself.) So you guys might want to take to YouTube. I can't guarantee how long any of the clips will last there, but a basic search will give you the current crop of available clips.  :-)

[JUN 12] In release news, the Icon compilation will be out August 23 in the US and July 19 in the UK. [Amazon, Amazon UK] There is still no track list, but it will be just a basic Greatest Hits package. And judging by the low price, I'd say it's probably only about 10 tracks.

[JUN 12] There is a new book out there by Craig Halstead called Donna Summer: For The Record. It is a comprehensive overview of Donna's recording career - something that I think just might interest one or two of you. (Or maybe 1 or 2 hundred of you.)  ;-)  Check it out at Author's Online where you can even look at a sample from the book. You can buy a copy there if you want or just head over to Amazon or Amazon UK.  Be patient if you are buying the actual paper book (as opposed to the ebook) as it can take 2 weeks to ship. (That happens with new releases sometimes.)

[JUN 12] German fans, ARTE TV will be running Portraits: Queens Of Pop over 10 days in July. Donna's portrait airs on July 20.

[JUN 12] That brings us to the web news for the week. On YouTube, look for The Loverboy 2011 mix of This Time I Know It's For Real, Jandry's  Good Time remix of Breakaway,  and AJ's 2011 Electro Dub of This Time I Know It's For Real.

[JUN 5] Before we get to the Donna news, Johnnyswim fans should look for their new CD on June 21.  :-)

[JUN 5] And better late than never, the new Summer Fever pick is up. This month we celebrate Once Upon A Time - mainly because I was in the mood for a fairy tale.  :-) 

[JUN 5] On to the main event! Tomorrow is the debut for Donna's episode of Platinum Hit. It repeats multiple times over the course of the week and I have the list below. (All times listed are Eastern.) If you want a sneak peek, check out the clip on the show's website. I believe the videos over there are region restricted though.  :-(  (I hate when that happens!)  It looks like US fans will be able to get episodes of the show on iTunes as well. I'm not sure about other countries, but I'm sure creative Googlers will find a work around. There is a photo from the episode posted here.

[JUN 5] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a name check in an interview with Alana DaCosta, and again in an interview with her former manager, Jeff Wald. (Don't get excited - the article is about his former drug use - Donna is only mentioned as a former client. There are no juicy details of things locked in the vault or anything like that. LOL)

[JUN 5] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, the Broadway play, The Normal Heart, opens with a montage of pre-AIDS life in New York. The montage is accompanied by Bad Girls and Le Freak back to back.  :-)

[JUN 5] I think I forgot to mention this when it came out, but thanks to Sebastiano over at Donna Summertime, there is now a Donna Summer Persona for the Firefox web browser. You can check it out here. (My browser is wearing it right now and seems quite happy with the fashion statement.  ;-) )

[JUN 5] That brings us to YouTube. Look for Jandry's Neon Sign mix of Sunset People,  a classic live clip of I Remember Yesterday, and a whole bunch of animated videos courtesy of orpheus4u.

[MAY 29] Happy Memorial Day! It's officially summertime now.  :-)

[MAY 29] Let's start off with the new TV series Platinum Hit. As many of you know, Donna is slated to be one of the guest judges this year. The show debuts tomorrow on Bravo at 10 PM. According to TV Guide, Donna will be on the episode that debuts on June 7 at 10 PM. The show is repeated multiple times throughout the week and it looks like it may be possible to view episodes online after they have aired on TV. One of the guys behind the show is none other than Evan Bogart and you can read an interview with him on Boston.com.

[MAY 29] In the Donna is everywhere category, Love To Love You made a list of the worst album covers believe it or not.

[MAY 29] She also got a mention in a short article about a private bash for Haim Saban. Apparently Seal performed On The Radio and got Donna to join in.

[MAY 29] Also in the Donna is everywhere category, I think I may have mentioned previously that a couple of Donna's songs appear in the stage musical Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. The booklet for the London production also includes this anecdote: In an attempt to secure further international investment, trainee producer Grant Lee makes an impromptu appearance in a pink afro and sequinned green swimsuit miming to Donna Summer at a distributors' lunch at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. And speaking of anecdotes, supermodel Sophie Dahl shares this memory in her cookbook:  I celebrated my twenty-second birthday on a rooftop in the Lower West Side, dancing to Donna Summer in a black lace ball gown that I borrowed that day from a fashion shoot.

[MAY 29] And in a little more unusual version of the Donna is everywhere category, there is a show horse in the UK known as "Donna Summer". Strangely enough, the horse seems to be male. I guess if those Donna is a man rumors ever start again, we'll know why.  ;-)

[MAY 29] On YouTube, look for Love To Love You from The Midnight Special, a remix of Dance Into My Life with images that you men will like ( and maybe some of us ladies too) ;-) ,and an I Feel Love video, 

[MAY 22] Happy Apocalypse everybody! ;-) (Boy I bet that guy who predicted it feels pretty silly about now!)

[MAY 22] Calling all you mad voters out there (you know who you are!  LOL) Studio Brussel is doing a poll to select the top 100 albums. You can vote here, but keep in mind that the site is in Dutch so you might need the help of Google or a Dutch buddy if that's not your best language.  :-)

[MAY 22] In the land of covers, the band Lady Of The Canyon will be doing a tribute to Donna in Fitzgerald's in Chicago on Wednesday.  You can read a bit about the show here. 

[MAY 22] In the Donna is everywhere (sort of) category, she gets a mention in an article about the song MacArthur Park.I should warn you now that the author pegged the song as his/her least favorite song of all time. But the article mainly talks about the original Richard Harris version of the song. 

[MAY 22] Also in the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in the Mixt Cosmetics blog as one of their style icons. 

[MAY 22] On YouTube look for a 1976 clip of  Could It Be Magic, MacArthur Park live from Chile, and El Verdadero Amor (Whenever There Is Love, the Spanish version).

[MAY 15] Happy Sunday. It's been a slow week and I'm a little bit bitter that Donna got no mention at all on Celebrity Apprentice tonight.  ;-)  (They have to create a 70's themed ad campaign and the team is trying to be a bit disco with some of it.)

[MAY 15] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a brief mention in a trivia quiz about songs about weather. She also got a mention on the TV show, The Talk. Dionne Warwick was interviewed on the show and when asked about the longevity of her career she said (and this is paraphrased a bit): "I have remained true to myself for fifty years. I did my thing and the brilliant Donna Summer did her thing. I never stepped into her pool, and she never stepped into mine." You can watch it on YouTube right here. And, she gets another mention in an interview with Moby. (Scroll down to the question about the "thingness of things." That phrase will make sense when you get to the question.)

[MAY 15] That brings us to the web news. Over on YouTube, look for I Remember Yesterday from Japan, Nightline's Playlist from 2008, an excellent quality clip of Heaven Knows from The Midnight Special, an Donna vs Usher mashup called DJ's Got Us Falling In  Hot Stuff.

[MAY 8] Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there.  :-)

[MAY 8] In book news, And Party Every Day: The Story Of Casablanca Records is officially out now as an audiobook now for those of you who like to listen instead of read. You can grab a copy through Audible (via Amazon or Amazon UK) and if you sign up for an Audible membership you can usually snag a really good deal. And on a side note, I see it's available in a Kindle edition for those who prefer ebooks.

[MAY 8] Remix fans, check out the new unofficial mix of Heaven Knows by DJ Valvanis.

[MAY 8] Photo hounds, I was messing around Getty Images and discovered that if you search for Donna (and spell her name wrong) you can find some extra photos from the 2008 People Magazine article.

[MAY 8] In classic news (is there such a thing?  LOL) I found a 1981 article talking about Donna's return after taking a year off to have Brooklyn. The article is presented as an image file so people depending upon screen readers will need to find a person to help them out.

[MAY 8] That brings us to the web news. Over on YouTube look for a new clip of Dim All The Lights from Art On Ice earlier this year, a Glenn Rivera mix of I Feel Love, and a Patrice slideshow set to To Paris With Love. 

[MAY 1] Well, it's a new month so you all know what that means - it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we're going back to Love To Love You.

[MAY 1] It's a slow week this week, so the big news is the blu-ray release of the movie Daylight.  As many of you know, Donna and Bruce Roberts recorded Whenever There Is Love for the movie, and this release does include the video for the song. There is a review of the DVD at blu-ray.com, but don't expect it to be overly flattering. You can pick up a copy at Amazon or Amazon UK.

[MAY 1] On Youtube (I told you it's a slow week!  LOL) look for the medley with Seal from the David Foster DVD, a mix of Whenever There Is Love (audio only), Supernatural Love from Soul Train, and the rare track, The Planet Is Alive.

[MAY 1] In classic dance news, I just received 2 Vicki Sue Robinson CDs and 1 France Joli CD from Gold Legion. So if you have an order outstanding for those, expect to  have them soon (if you didn't get them already.) Over at Big Break Records, they have released two more Casablanca classics, both produced by the one and only Tom Moulton. They are T.J.M. and Loose Change. So check those out if you have a chance.

[MAY 1] And finally on a personal note, I did my MS Walk today - and it was such a gorgeous day for a walk!  I just want to thank all of you who contributed, and all of you who wanted to but couldn't. Together we raised over $400 from my site visitors alone, while my team raised about $4000 from various offline activities. Not bad.  :-)  I had a blast and hopefully we helped someone in the process.  :-)  Thanks for helping and thanks for putting up with me.  :-)

[APR 24] Happy Easter, Passover and National Pickle Week..... oh wait, that's not this week.  ;-)

[APR 24] Trivia junkies, check out WhoSampled.com. They have a list of songs that sampled Donna's music, a list of songs that Donna covered and a list of her songs that other people covered. The lists are by no means fully comprehensive (Particularly the one covering covers of Donna's music) but they are still interesting to look at. 

[APR 24] In classic news, there is an article on the web from 1989 talking a little about Donna's switch from Geffen to Atlantic for the release of Another Place And Time.

[APR 24] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a number of mentions in a new interview with France Joli in Daeida Magazine.  (Just click the cover to get access to an online copy of the entire issue.) 

[APR 24] In the Mistaken Identity category - you might run into articles about The Glade Festival in England this June.  The "Donna Summer" listed on that roster is DJ Donna Summer aka Jason Forrest.  So if you catch a glimpse of the name "Donna Summer" in an advertisement in the general vicinity of London, it's not OUR Donna.

[APR 24] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over at YouTube, look for Stampyourfeet's mashup for The Queen Is Back, and a live clip of the Star Spangled Banner. Also uploaded this week, a live clip of Love To Love You  from the Midnight Special and This Time I Know It's For Real from Arsenio.

[APR 24] Finally in classic dance news, Gold Legion has finally mailed out one France Joli album and one Vicki Sue Robinson CD.  They say to look for more from those two artists in early May, and then in late May look for other releases later in May. There is other stuff still in the works too, but the guys at Gold Legion are learning not to say too much until they can be more certain of release dates.  :-)

[APR 17] Let's start with the big news of the week. The cable channel Bravo is coming out with a new show called Platinum Hit. Think of it as a Project Runway or America's Top Model for singer/songwriters. In addition to a regular panel of judges, a few celebrity guest judges will be brought in for an episode or two. Donna is slated to be one of the guest judges. The television show debuts on May 30, but there is no word yet as to when Donna will appear. You can find out more a bout the show on the Bravo website. There were about nine billion articles this week about the show, but they were all pretty much just the press release. This one included a picture of Donna from last year.

[APR 17] In the Donna is everywhere category, she gets a mention in an article marking 30 years of Billboard's Chartbeat column. Also the Word Thoughts blog used Spring Affair in a post about the arrival of spring.

[APR 17] In web news, look for Fernando's video remix for Once Upon A Time on YouTube, along with Glen Rivera's Restructured mix of the Once Upon A Time. Also look for Glen Rivera's mix of Queen For A Day, Work That Magic from UK television, and an acoustic (audio only) clip of acoustic versions of On The Radio and Bad Girls.

[APR 10] Let's start off with some release news. First up is a new compilation called Icon due May 24. [Amazon, Amazon UK] There is no track list yet, but I can tell you that it is one of a series of compilation albums. To give you an idea, here is an article about other albums in the series.

[APR 10] In other release news, PerfectBeat is putting out a compilation of mixes called DMC Dance Extra Mixes that will include several mixes of To Paris With Love on volumes 6 and 7. There is nothing that hasn't already been released as a download, but for those of you looking for an actual CD, this is your chance. (Plus each disk includes mixes by other artists as well.)

[APR 10] In the Donna is everywhere category, she (and I Feel Love) gets a mention in an interview with Moby.

[APR 10] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube, look for Fernando's video remix for Once Upon A Time, the MAW mix of I Feel Love, and Jimmie's Jam Of The Day: Eyes. 

[APR 3] First things first - I replaced the April Fool's page with the real Summer Fever pick which is Bad Girls. (Something some of you were calling me I think when you saw the trick page.  ;-) ) If you missed the joke, it's still here for you to see. By the way, that page marks a first for this site - it was the first time I ever posted only full length tracks for an album.  (Of course my usual clips are way longer than those "full length tracks."  LOL)

[APR 3] This week I also have a new Ken's Korner for you. He's being nice so obviously the aliens have gotten to him or something.  ;-)  And Wolfgang has updated the first page (the biography) to his German discography. You will find that here. 

[APR 3] Moving on to the diva, classic photo hounds will love these pics from 1976. The resolution on those is huge which makes them just right for making wallpapers for your computer or whatever.

[APR 3] In the Donna is everywhere category, there is an off-Broadway play called My Big Gay Italian Wedding. In it, there is a scene where the two main characters are leaving a gay karaoke bar. One asks the other, "Why did you run out in the middle of our duet? I can handle the Barbra part, but there is no way I can sing both Barbra and Donna." The line got a big laugh, but I can't help but wonder what song they were referring to?  ;-) 

[APR 3] That brings us to the web news for the week. On YouTube look for Fernando's videos for a remix of Eyes, and a Toni Braxton/Donna Summer/Seal mashup of Unbreak My Heart. Then there is the MadMixMustang mashup of Donna vs. Jimi Hendrix Foxy Stuff,  and the Peter Zohdy & Michael JT's Chicago Rework of Our Love.

[APR 1] The new Summer Fever pick is posted and this time instead of looking to the past, I'm looking to the future. I got the scoop on a compilation of  new single edits of the hits.

[MAR 27] Let's start off with some chart news. The David Foster album debuted on the Billboard 200 Album chart March 19 at #197. From there is climbed to #108 (where it was tagged as the pacesetter) on March 26, but then it dropped back to #160 for the week of April 2. I don't know if the copied PBS gave away to donors counts towards the chart position. My guess is that it doesn't. (Although the repeated airings on PBS no doubt increased sales.)

[MAR 27] As you all know, Donna performed last weekend at the Israeli Leaders Council Gala. There is a write up about the event here, but be warned that Donna is mentioned only briefly.

[MAR 27] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, the New York Gay Men's Chorus is doing a show called The Big Gay Sing 3D. In it they cover songs by a number of artists. One particular medley of note is made up of I Feel Love, Bad Girls, Hot Stuff and Last Dance. 

[MAR 27] Also in the Donna's music is everywhere category, listen for versions of Hot Stuff and MacArthur Park in the musical  Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.

[MAR 27] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube look for a remix of State Of Independence, Fernando's latest video simply called Love Song, a classic clip of Once Upon A Time (from the Midnight Special if I recall), and a mix of La Vie En Rose.

[MAR 27] I will be back later this week with an update to Wolfgang's German discography and the new Summer Fever pick. Hmmm... April is around the corner. Who knows what I might find to post on Friday?  ;-)

[MAR 20] For those of you who ever wondered just what Donna is doing while I update the site (c'mon, there must be one person, right?  LOL)  tonight I actually have an answer. Right about now she's performing in Beverly Hills at  the Israeli Leadership Council Gala. It would not surprise me in the least if we got a few photos out of it later this week from the usual sites (Wireimage, etc).

[MAR 20] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, the Scottish Sun voted the scene in The Full Monty with the guys dancing to Hot Stuff as the funniest ever movie moment. Also, look for the song in the wedding scene in the movie Burlesque.

[MAR 20] In the ancient history category... ok, well maybe not quite so ancient  ;-) I have a French promo clip promoting The Journey, and another French clip promoting her 1993 comeback. 

[MAR 20] Trivia fans, FunTrivia.com has a collection of facts about Donna. It's probably nothing the diehards don't know already but you can probably freak out casual fans by saying, "who doesn't know that?" ;-)

[MAR 20] In the land of covers, Andrea Corr is releasing a covers album called Lifelines. In it she covers State Of Independence. Also Cece Penniston has been covering Last Dance in her recent shows.

[MAR 20] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over at YouTube look for Jandry's  Easy With Me 2010 remix of The Woman In Me, Donna winning the Grammy for Last Dance, and Spring Affair from Soul Train.

[MAR 20] And finally - my thanks to those of you who have sponsored my walk for MS.  I know that money is tight and there are a ton of very worthy charities all competing for every dime, and it means a lot that you have sent your cash my way. I will be emailing all my contributors about the time of the walk (May 1) but I wanted to just say something here so you don't think I'm entirely ungrateful.  ;-)  

[MAR 13] Let me start off by saying hello to all the friends unknown in Japan. I've been watching the news and the images I've been seeing of the destruction is just... overwhelming.  When Mother Nature is in a bad mood, boy does she show it!  I hope all of you and your families are safe and sound and remain that way as events unfold. For those people worldwide who are looking for information or for ways to help the people of Japan, Google has (as usual - go Google!) compiled a list of resources including a person finder.  (Now THAT is a great tool!)

[MAR 13] On to lighter and infinitely more fun things... Let's start with David Foster again. (At this rate I may have to change the name of the site!  LOL) The March 7 issue of USA Today called the David Foster special "must watch TV" and in the March TV calendar they mention that Donna is in great voice these days and the show is worth it just to hear her "rip into" Last Dance. I also have a PDF of the PBS press release for Channel 13 in NY.

[MAR 13] Out.com has compiled a list of the 100 Gayest albums of all time. Donna comes in at #72 with Once Upon A Time and #34 with Bad Girls. I think we can give an honorable mention to Hair at #68. Ok, so Donna wasn't on the particular recording Out selected, but she did appear on the German soundtrack.  ;-)

[MAR 13] Omega Red has tweeted that he was in the studio with Donna the other day. He posted a picture to go with it.

[MAR 13] In the Donna is everywhere category, look for a mention of Last Dance on AVClub.com's list of first favorite songs. Also a recent episode of RuPaul's Drag Race had 2 contestants "Lip-Syncing For Their Life" to MacArthur Park.

[MAR 13] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube look for more Art On Ice clips courtesy of lelo546, a re-scored clip from Three Days Of The Condor using Come With Me, and a whole bunch of karaoke clips courtesy of TheSoloKaraoke.

[MAR 13] And finally on a personal note, thanks to those of you who have already contributed to my walk for MS. There is still plenty of time if anyone else would like to contribute - although I realize that especially now after the disaster in Japan, there are other causes vying for your money as well. Every penny is appreciated and I will be emailing all m y donors closer to the time of the walk. (And don't forget I have those Brooklyn Dreams cds for my 2 top contributors! :-) )

[MAR 8] I have been given the complete list of PBS airdates for the David Foster concert. It's too big to post on this page, so check out this PDF file.  Please keep in mind that this show is part of most (if not all) of the stations pledge drive, so if you are so inclined to donate to PBS, a good time would be during the breaks in the concert.  ;-)

[MAR 8] On a personal note, I will be walking for MS on May 1. (Make that walking for a cure to MS - it would be pretty mean to walk to support making people ill!  LOL) If any of you would like to support me, you can donate at my (really boring hardly customized) page on the National MS Society website. I mentioned previously that I have 2 extra copies of the Brooklyn Dreams Sleepless Nights CD that I was trying to decide what to do with. I propose to give them to  the 2  people who donate the most to my MS walk. (Or in the event of many people sending the same amount, I'll pick 2 people at random from the highest donors.)  Now for those of you asking why I'm walking - well there is a really boring, and standard paragraph on my MS page that the MS Society wrote. The real reason is that my boss, who happens to be a really cool person (end blatant sucking up here), has the disease. She has to give herself an injection every day and the thing that really strikes me about that is that she has 2 young children. Her 7 year old has learned how to give her the shot. What 7 year old should have to know about that? When I was 7, I was still running away from needles screaming..... (The same was true when I was 37, but I digress.  ;-) ) 

[MAR 6] I have another airdate for the David Foster concert: WHYY in Pittsburgh is running it various times this week.

[MAR 6] Pretty much all the news this week is about the David Foster concert. Because it is airing all over the country over the next couple of weeks, there are articles all over the web promoting it. (And with very good reason - aside from being a good show, PBS is in the midst of fundraising so they want all the publicity they can get.) Here are a couple of the recent articles:

BroadwayWorld.com
Philly.com
SiouxCityJournal.com
LasVegasWeekly.com
KansasCity.com

(On a non-Donna related PBS side note, they are running the 25th anniversary concert version of Les Miserables this month - I just caught the second half of it and it's AMAZING. You have to catch the guy playing Jean Valjean.  :-) )

[MAR 6] That brings us to the web news. On YouTube look for an extended version of Melody Of Love with some rather random images, the Jonathan Peters mix of Love Is The Healer (also with pretty random images), Try Me from American Bandstand, the Unconditional Love video, and of course, another PBS promo for the David Foster concert.  :-)

[MAR 1] The new Summer Fever pick is up. This month I'm bringing back Live & More Encore.

[FEB 27] Happy Oscar Night everyone. And the winner for Best Performer in a movie in my mind is..... well, you know.  ;-)

[FEB 27] Let's start with David Foster. If you pre-ordered the CD/DVD through his site, then it might already be in your hands. (And if it's not, it will be soon.  :-) ) If you are waiting to catch the show on PBS here in the US, well March 9-ish seems to be the timeframe we're looking at. The dates I have so far are KQED (Northern California) : March 7, KLRU (Austin, TX): March 9, KTEH (San Francisco Bay Area): March 9, Thirteen (New York City): March 9, WGBY (Boston): March 7, CPTV (Connecticut): March 10. Those are of course the premiere airdates - most (if not all) of those stations will repeat the broadcast several times over the course of the week. Everyone else, just keep checking your local listings. (PBS.org is a great resource for that). 

[FEB 27] Photo hounds, there are 3 images from 1977 posted on Picasaweb. 2 are backstage photos from a Puerto Rico concert and one looks like a Summer Nights business card or something.

[FEB 27] I think that brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube, check out Fernando's video combining the footage from Work That Magic and the music from Mr. Music, Glenn Rivera's Restructure mix of Rumor Has It, MacArthur Park from Art On Ice (shot by a Donna fan instead of a skating fan this time  :-) ), and  the DJs from Mars Bootleg mix  of Donna vs. Usher DJ got us Falling In Hot Stuff.

[FEB 20] It's a new week and there is absolutely nothing going on at all. Nope, not a thing. Well, except for this rather interesting link.  ;-)  It's David Foster's website and if you happen to go there, you will find that The Hit Man Returns: Foster & Friends is available for pre-order. (It's also available at Amazon and Amazon UK for pre-order now too.)  But for just a moment, try to ignore the pre-order popup and continue to the main site and notice the audio player. You WILL want to click on the track called Unbreak My Heart. And after you play that a few hundred times, check out the video trailer.  :-)

[FEB 20] Arte.tv's favorite diva poll has ended and the top vote getter for the 1970s is none other than Donna. :-) I know a lot of you voted - good job!

[FEB 20] In the Donna is everywhere category, fashion designer Michael Kors used I Feel Love in a recent runway show.

[FEB 20] Also in the Donna is everywhere category, check out Billboard.com's 1000 #1s (you will want to click pages 441 and 461, and the Top 40 duets (#33).

[FEB 20] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube look for a remix of Cold Love, one for I'm Free, Fernando's combination of Stamp with the video for Work That Magic, a 77 clip of Love's Unkind, a short interview clip coupled with the video for I Don't Want To Get Hurt, and for you bass guitar fans, a clip of a guy playing bass along with the Love To Love You record.

[FEB 13] Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (And happy Grammy night too!) I guess the best place to start is with the MusiCares concert. As Donna announced on her site this week, she was unable to do the concert because of scheduling conflicts.  :-(  I know we have a few Barbra fans lurking here, so for you guys here is a link to see photos from the event. 

[FEB 13] In release news - here is one I never expected. There is a compilation called Funky Frauleins Volume 2   that is a collection of tracks from female artists in Germany from 1968-1981. The final track on the set is Can't Understand by one Donna Gaines. (I think most of you know her by a different name now.  ;-) ) I never expected to find that on a compilation anywhere. You can read the album review here, or check it out on Amazon or Amazon UK. (The US version of Amazon actually has sound clips posted.)

[FEB 13] Overseas, Art On Ice continues. Catch videos of Enough Is Enough, La Vie En Rose, and Smile.  I also have a fan report from Zurich for your reading pleasure.

[FEB 13] Chart fans, there is a site out there called Chart Stats that has a comprehensive archive of UK chart info. If you click the link, it will bring you right to Donna's stats.

[FEB 13] I think that brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube, (in addition to the  Art On Ice links above) look for the live version of Romeo from the 83 HBO special, the Love Is In Control video,  and a karaoke version of I Will Survive.  LOL (I couldn't resist the last version - it really is posted under Donna's name on YouTube.)

[FEB 13] And finally -  Gold Legion sent out an email with the dates the France Joli and Vicki Sue Robinson will be shipped to Gold Legion.  They are February 15 for France Joli, and February 17 and 25 for the two Vicki Sue CDs. Shipping to buyers should follow shortly thereafter, and Gold Legion has promised another email soon with more dates for the pre-ordered stuff.  Now, Big Break Records customers, check out the Brooklyn Dreams CD Sleepless Nights. (It's the one with the alternate version of Heaven Knows - among other things.  :-) ) I got a copy this week and they did a great job. They also sent me a couple of extras that I need to find worthy homes for. I'm thinking a contest of some sort is on order, but I haven't decided what exactly I want to do yet.

[FEB 6] My apologies if any of you had trouble accessing the site over the weekend. I had some technical difficulties involving a Canadian webhost, a hosting bill and a credit card company that apparently hates Canada and even more apparently did not take my previous complaints seriously. I believe the situation has been resolved permanently thanks to another credit card, a sharp pair of scissors, and just a little bit of profanity.  ;-)

[FEB 6] The big news this week is Switzerland. As you all know, Donna is performing at the Art On Ice shows over there and the photos and videos are starting to surface. Let me explain Art On Ice for those of you who don't know what it is. Basically it's a figure skating showcase featuring world class skaters and live music. So while Donna is on stage singing, there is somebody on the ice skating to her song. I've seen it with other musical artists and it's usually a lot of fun. Now with that in mind, understand that in a lot of the videos you will see, the  camera will be mostly focused on the skaters. For photos check out the collection at Getty Images, or WireImage.com. (They are the same photos at both sites.) There is also a slideshow here (check #3) and a few photos on the Art on Ice Facebook page.  For video, YouTube is your best friend. Look for videos posted by MyBrige, MichieStanley, skating4us, froschkoenig8152, and M0vieZ0ne. There is also some rehearsal footage/interviews here, a news report here. And finally, don't miss the interview clip here, and another one here. 

[FEB 6] The appearances in Switzerland are having an effect on music sales. Endless Summer is #7 (as of this writing) in iTunes Soul store for Switzerland.  :-)

[FEB 6] Life Magazine's website has a number of of photos from the David Foster concert and from the subsequent promotional event. (Those are just the most recent photos, there are others from other events too.)

[FEB 6] In the Mistaken Identity category, I got a Google alert for a dressage competition. When I investigated, I found out that the horse is named Donna Summer. That's not so strange (people do name animals after people they admire)... until you read the whole article and learn that the horse is a gelding. I feel the rumor about Donna being a man may return....   LOL (Or maybe since we're talking geldings, I mean a former man?  ;-) )

[FEB 6] I think that brings us to the web news for the week. After you check out the Art On Ice clips, look for a couple of Glen Rivera mixes and a clip of Last Dance from the David Foster concert. Also, Fernando has posted the 1979 tour book accompanied by music from Live & More.

[JAN 30] February 1 is right around the corner, so I've updated the Summer Fever pick already. I thought A Love Trilogy was appropriate for Valentine's Day.  :-)

[JAN 30] Just a reminder for the fans in (or near) Switzerland - Donna will be appearing with Art On Ice in Zurich on February 3 to 6 and in Lausanne on February 8 and 9. Get details from the Art On Ice website. (My link will go to the English version of the site, but are links on the bottom of the Art On Ice site to switch to French or German for those of you who are more comfortable with one of those languages.)

[JAN 30] I know I mentioned this before, but Arte.tv has a poll to pick their visitors' favorite diva. The poll ends very soon, so if you haven't voted - do it now. Donna's doing pretty well, but a few more votes certainly wouldn't hurt.  ;-)

[JAN 30] People Magazine had an advertisement for the MusicCares tribute to Barbra Streisand. A kind soul sent me a scan of the page, so it's here for anyone who wants to see it.

[JAN 30] Johnnyswim fans - I have a fan report from Eli from one of the recent shows in California.

[JAN 30] And that brings us to the web news for the week. Last week I posted a link to a Work That Magic clip. I found out it's from a UK show called Wogan. This week there is a Russian TV report about Donna. The Russian translation plays over Donna's interview but if you listen closely you can hear her English.

[JAN 25] Well, now that I feel human again, we can get down to business.  :-)  I hope you all enjoyed the Johnnyswim interview while you were waiting. (You probably also enjoyed playing "count the typos" too.  LOL)  Before I get to Donna, let me tell you that Johnnyswim has a new video out for Bon Soir, and you can vote for them in the Russell Simmons Hijack Hip-Hop challenge. I know some of you have seen both links already judging by my Facebook feed.  :-)  And on another side note, Amanda's dfad has a new single posted on SmoothJazz.com. It's called Love Is Sacrifice.

[JAN 25] On to the main event. ;-)  Let's start off with a new release - namely the David Foster & Friends DVD and CD. That will be out on March 1. You can read the press release here, or Amazon has the listing the the pre-order for the blu-ray version up already.  (No details posted with the listing yet though.)

[JAN 25] Photo fans - there is a collection of photos from the Boston concert last year posted on TheyWillRockYou.com. 

[JAN 25] In the Donna is not quite everywhere category, catch a cover of MacArthur Park in the Dutch program Het Spaanse Schaap. (There is a clip on YouTube.) And you can find covers of Hot Stuff and I Feel Love in a Canadian film called Funkytown, opening very soon in Montreal.

[JAN 25] And that brings us to the web news for the week. Look for the official music video for Romeo (which is really more of a clipfest from the Flashdance movie than an actual video. You won't see Donna in it.) Then there is the television performance of Work That Magic. (The clip isn't identified, but I'd say European television?) And finally there is what I am told is a Flamenco version of She Works Hard For The Money that does not play in the United States. And more unfortunately the block prevents me from even seeing the description of the video so I can't tell you who recorded it. It was sent to me by a fan in Spain so I believe that probably all (or most) of Western Europe should be able to see it. Everybody else will just have to try their luck and hope for the best.

[JAN 23] The regular update will have to wait a little while because I'm fighting off some nasty bug, but I did want to take a few minutes to bring you an exclusive interview with Johnnyswim courtesy of Eduardo in San Francisco. If you are in the Los Angeles area make sure you catch the pair at Hotel Cafe at 8 PM on Wednesday January 26, or if you are in San Francisco catch them at  Hotel Utah on January 25 at 8 PM or at 9 PM on Thursday January 27 at Lestat's.

[JAN 16] This week let's start off with David Foster. The David Foster and Friends concert that was taped last year (with Donna of course!) will start airing on PBS stations in March for the Spring pledge drive. Check your local listings for the time and station in your specific area. And while we're on the topic of David Foster... you just might want to read this little article on Boston.com. There is a little mention that Donna and David will be teaming up for a future album.  :-) And I have just one more little article for you courtesy of the Sioux City Journal Blog and a few photos promoting the PBS broadcast can be found on PBS' Facebook page. 

[JAN 16] Masterbeat.com has posted its year end charts for 2010. To Paris With Love comes in at #9 on the top 100 releases and at #33 on the top 100 remixes.

[JAN 16] Poll fans - you can vote for your favorite pop diva at Queens Of Pop on arte.tv. You have a choice of voting in French or Dutch so if those aren't your best languages, find somebody cute to translate for you.  ;-)

[JAN 16] As you know Donna will be performing next month at the MusiCares concert honoring Barbra Streisand. You can win tickets to the show by joining Barbra's fundraising team to raise money for the Cedar-Sinai Women's Heart Center. The team member who raised the most cash gets a pair of tickets.

[JAN 16] That brings us to the web news for the week. Over on YouTube look for a couple of clips from Rio de Janeiro  courtesy of niteroi1966, an AMA acceptance speech, Peperamico's video for Breath Of Heaven, and Bad Girls from Divas 2000.

[JAN 9] Let's start off with the MusiCares concert honoring Barbra Streisand next month. Two new articles have popped up about that show this week. Neither is long, but I suspect we will hear more as we get closer to Grammy week. The first one is on the Soul Culture blog, and the other is on CMT.com.

[JAN 9] The BBC compiled a list of the 50 top selling duets in the UK. Enough Is Enough is right there on the list (along with some other great songs I had half forgotten about.)

[JAN 9] That brings us to the web news for the week. On YouTube look for Fernando's upload of Hot Stuff from the 1980 TV special, Stampyurfeet's video for the DJ Strobe Ulti-Mix 2011 of To Paris With Love, a mashup of the B-52s' Love Shack and I Feel Love, and an Another Place And Time megamix.

[JAN 2] Happy New Year everyone!  It's a New Year and a new month which means it's time for the new Summer Fever pick. This month I'm bringing back The Wanderer.

[JAN 2] It's another slow week (barring the dozen or so mentions of celebrity birthdays) thanks to the holidays. But I did run into an interesting poll about the rumor. (Also of interest on that page to many of you will be the totally unrelated photo above the poll. I believe a number of you are fond of scantily clad men?  ;-) )

[JAN 2] And yes, that brings us to the web news already. Over on YouTube check out Fernando's video for Pandora's Box and his birthday video for Donna. Stampyurfeet also did a birthday video for Donna. For something that's more than a little strange, check out the Donna vs. Guns 'N' Mix of Sweet Hot Stuff O' Mine. (Donna and Guns N Roses are not a combination I thought anyone would ever try.  LOL  I don't really think of them as sharing a common fan base.)

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