Donna Summer: She could sing anything, anywhere, with anyone, at any time.

[DEC 3] Happy Sunday all!  It's December now so you  know what that means - Christmas Spirit is the new Summer Fever Pick. Can you believe that album is almost 30 years old?

[DEC 3] First up - don't forget that Brooklyn, Bruce and Giorgio will be at the Grammy Museum in LA tomorrow talking all things Donna. If you are in the area, get tickets here.

[DEC 3] In other Donna news, we have all heard the story about Donna falling off her stool when recording Enough Is Enough - Donna told that one many times over the years.  Well, now Barbra is telling the story too. She put it in her new memoir, and now People Magazine is reporting it.

[DEC 3] The BBC has a podcast called Sounds Of The 80s. The most recent one has Pete Waterman as a cohost and he has stories about many of the artists he worked with. You will find Donna at about 1:15:35 and again at 1:30:15. The website says this podcast will only be available for about 28 days.

[DEC 3] Johnnyswim fans - our favorite duo will be performing next month for Kids Helping Kids on January 19 and 20 in Santa Barbara. Tickets are available here.  Also, Abner wants to do a run club in Los Angeles this month. Keep an eye on the Johnnyswim Instagram for details.

[DEC 3] Bruce Sudano fans - he's live on the couch on Facebook again with a new song inspired by his granddaughter, but dedicated to all grandchildren.

[DEC 3] That brings us to YouTube.  First up is a 1994 clip of Melody Of Love that I never saw before.  (Before you ask, the guy they keep showing during the song is a fan who was being surprised with the chance to meet Donna. So I think he was either in shock or scared to death.) Also in the land of fans is this WKTU tribute clip that features comments from a number of fans - some celebrities! We also have a couple of Christmas clips to play while you decorate for the year - Donna on ET promoting Christmas Spirit, another ET clip about The Christmas Song, the promo version of Breath Of Heaven (it omits the spoken intro), and a lyric video for Rosie Christmas.

[NOV 26] Happy Sunday all! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving (or just a nice Thursday is you don't celebrate!) Here in the US, Thanksgiving marks the official start of the Christmas shopping season (even though Christmas stuff has been in the stores for ages already. LOL)  There are lots of deals to be had this weekend including merch at Johnnyswim.com and at BruceSudano.com.

[NOV 26] Don't forget (if you are in the Los Angeles area) that one week from tomorrrow (December 4) is the big live conversation with Brooklyn, Bruce and Giorgio at the Grammy Museum. Tickets are still available.  I know people keep asking if it will be live-streamed. I don't think so. The Grammy Museum does have a YouTube channel, but it hasn't posted anything in a couple of years.  :-( But a couple of fans are going for sure, so maybe we can get reports from them.

[NOV 26] Canada - Canal D in Montreal will be airing Love To Love You Donna Summer in French. (Not sure if they mean with subtitles or voice overs - I sort of hope they do it with subtitles. Otherwise you might miss some of the "new" music that plays during the film.) Look for that on December 13 at 9PM.

[NOV 26]  That brings us to YouTube.  First up a 40 year retrospective on Donna's music condensed down to about 12 minutes. Some of you may remember that Donna did Hollywood Squares back in 2003 to promote her autobiography. The Donna Summer Archive channel is posting those episodes - 1 each day. As I write this only the first couple are up, but if you check the channel after the 28th, all 5 should be posted. Then we have the video for I Will Go With You that I haven't watched in who knows how long, and the official animated videos for Love To Love You and I Feel Love.  Finally, I see someone has reposted Donna and Barry's Could It Be Magic.  If you know me at all, you know I can't resist posting it again.  LOL

[NOV 19] Happy Sunday all! And Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends who celebrate it! And even if you don't celebrate the holiday, take a moment to be thankful for the good things in your life - however big or small.  (Does that make me sound like Oprah? LOL)

[NOV 19] In the only news of the week, SoundOfLife.com posted an article looking at some of the most impactful live albums. Donna's Live & More album from 1978 is on that list. They cite the facts that the album went platinum and that is started Donna's trifecta of back to back number one double albums.

[NOV 19] And that brings us to YouTube. (Yes, it's a very slow news week!  LOL)  First up, a "new" clip from Fantastico 1979 with Last Dance, preceded by a little clip of Donna performing With Your Love! (Both are the typical lip-syncing that artists have to do for TV shows, but still - how often do you ever get to see Donna perform With Your Love?)  Moving on we have Donna on The View from around Thanksgiving 1999, Donna on Queen Latifah also from around Thanksgiving 1999, and a performance from Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at the Thanksgiving Day Parade. And finally Donna singing Friends Unknown at the Walk Of Fame ceremony.

[NOV 11] Greetings all and Happy Veteran's Day to all who served.  Let's start with the Grammy Museum. On December 4, it will be celebrating Love To Love You Donna Summer with a panel discussion featuring  Bruce, Brooklyn and Giorgio.  They will also be showing clips from the documentary and then there will be a Q&A session.  Tickets are available at GrammyMuseum.org, and the event will be held at the Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles.

[NOV 11] In other documentary news, the Grammy nominees were just announced. Unfortunately, Love To Love You Donna didn't make the final list. But if you want to check out the list of this year's nominees - they are posted here.

[NOV 11] NationWorldNews.com just posted their review of Love To Love You Donna.  I think this article was translated because it frequently uses the wrong pronouns.

[NOV 11] As you probably realize, Barbara Streisand has a new autobiography out called My Name Is Barbra. (paid Amazon link) .  Yes she does mention Donna in it.  :-)  Chapter 33 is called Enough Is Enough and it talked about Barbra's Wet album and how the Enough Is Enough collaboration came about. There is nothing there that we don't already know, but it's really nice to hear it from Barbra's point of view for a change. She did say that Donna was a doll when they met, and that they did get to see each other at David Foster's house not too long before Donna passed.  Barbra ends the chapter by saying that Donna had an amazing voice  and she was a lovely person.  OH! I just discovered that someone posted that chapter of Barbra's audio book on YouTube.  So  go listen to Barbra.  :-)

[NOV 11] Moving on to Bruce, he was live on the couch again on Facebook with another song inspired by the current world situation.  This one is called I Still Believe In You.  You can also catch Bruce on his YouTube channel with a live medley of Ball Of Fire/ Tighter And Tighter/ Bad Girls/ September In Your Eyes. (Sharp-eyed viewers will spot Super Bruce in the background.  :-)

[NOV 11] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is a reaction video with a little twist. Instead of just reacting to Hot Stuff, this guy is reacting to the stems from the Hot Stuff recording. So we get to hear (and see him react to) all the various parts of the song - instruments, vocals. It's pretty cool.  Then if you are pressed for time, someone has posted most of the scenes from Thank God It's Friday featuring Donna on YouTube. There is Donna singing a bit of Love To Love You in the DJ Booth, the "listen Mr. Big Shot DJ" scene, the crying in the bathroom scene (it cuts right before Donna tried to put the wig over the wig...  lol), the Last Dance scene,  and the final scene.

[NOV 5] Happy Sunday all! It's a new month so it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are working hard for our (no) money.

[NOV 5] Bruce Sudano fans - check out Bruce on Facebook at the piano with I'm A Rainbow. It's not one you usually hear him sing.

[NOV 5] Johnnyswim fans - episode 6 of the second season of In The Kitchen With Abner And Amanda is now streaming on MAX, Discovery and Magnolia. This week they are making Sunday supper with Chicken Marbella, Roasted Feta Fries and Peach Galette.

[NOV 5] In the land of covers, REDHOUSE has covered On The Radio and that will be released in all the usual places on November 10.  Make sure you check it out.

[NOV 5] That brings us to YouTube and I think we should celebrate the Summer Fever Pick.  So first up is the title track from TopPop. Then we have Unconditional Love from a Disney special, an alternate version of Do Believe (I Fell In Love), a Suecase Hall video for Love Has A Mind Of Its Own, and Donna and Onetta talking about the inspiration for She Works Hard For The Money.

[NOV 5] And finally - this Tuesday (November 7) is Election Day here in the US.  If you haven't already early voted (or sent in an absentee ballot), make sure you get your butt out to your local polling place and vote! Make your voice heard!

[OCT 29] Happy Sunday all and Happy Halloween to all who celebrate!  Let's start with TheMusicalHype.com and its list of "11 Alluring Radio Approved Songs." (Basically they are all songs with the word radio in the title.) So as you probably guessed, Donna made the list with On The Radio.

[OCT 29] Bruce Sudano fans - as you recall, he did a thing last week for Radio Popolare in Milan.  Bruce posted a couple of short video clips on Facebook (Keep Doin' What You're Doin' and Bad Girls), but you can listen to the whole event on the Radio Popolare website.  The interview part is in English and Italian. (One of the hosts translates - she asks the question in both languages, Bruce answers in English, then she translates his answer into Italian.) Make sure when you go to the site that you select the episode from October 26, 2023. Right now that is the one that comes up on top, but depending on when you read this, it may have moved further down the list.

[OCT 29] Bruce also marked the 3rd anniversary of Spirals vol 2 on his Facebook page with a video.

[OCT 29] Johnnyswim fans  - well, this year's tour is over. But give them 5 minutes and they will start another.  LOL But seriously, you can still get your Johnnyswim fix on MAX, Discovery+, and Magnolia with Abner and Amanda In The Kitchen.  Today's episode (Season 2 episode 5) is Grandma Madge's meatballs with Sudano peppers ad garlic herb focaccia.  (Is it dinner time yet?  LOL)

[OCT 29] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, yes I know I linked to Donna's special last week, but I rediscovered another link today that actually includes some of the old  commercials that aired during the broadcast. So if you like nostalgic ads, check it out.  Moving on, let's go with a Halloween-ish theme. First up is a Scary Halloween Mix of Once Upon A Time (which isn't really that scary LOL), followed by the 30th Anniversary Megamix of Another Place And Time,  some footage set to Breakaway with some extra footage of Donna in her Kabuki makeup, and the CD+G version of Another Place And Time. Moving from makeup to costume, we have  a compilation of Donna as Aunt Oona (the fat suit edition of her second appearance on that show),  and the first part of Donna's first appearance as Aunt Oona. (That whole first episode is broken up into parts, so you can continue with part 2, part 3 and part 4 if you want. Or if you want to see the shows the way they aired, Family Matters streams on MAX and Hulu, or can be purchased on Amazon, Apple, etc. Donna is on season 5 episode 23 and season 8 episode 22. )

[OCT 23] Greetings all!  The 2024 Grammys are coming up in February, so the nomination process is in progress. Love To Love You Donna Summer has been submitted for consideration.  For those who don't know the Grammy process, it starts with creators submitting their work for consideration.  Then the Grammy people go through all the submissions (which could be thousands of items) to make sure they actually meet the nomination criteria. Then there is a round of voting where the final 5 to 8 (depending on category) nominees are selected, then the final round of voting where the winners are selected.  So the documentary has been submitted for Best Music Film, and we have to wait and see if it makes the nominee list which should be announced on November 10.  Here's hoping!

[OCT 23] Speaking of the documentary, I am told that Chanel D in Montreal will air it on December 13 with either a French voice over, or French subtitles. (I vote for subtitles, so you can still hear everyone's voice, and the extra music that gets slipped in throughout.  :-) )

[OCT 23] FarOutMagazine.co.uk just posted an article about Bruce Springsteen giving Donna the song Protection.  Now I already liked Springsteen, but this quote makes me like him even more: "She could really sing, and I disliked the veiled racism of the anti-disco movement."  The Boss nailed it (although I would have also added homophobia - there was that too.)

[OCT 23]  In Bruce Sudano news, fans in Milan will want to catch him on Thursday October 26 at 9 PM at the theater at Radio Populare (Via Privata Ulderico Ollearo 5, Milano). He'll be singing and doing an interview. Admission is free and the show will be simulcast on the radio.

[OCT 23] Speaking of Bruce - he was live on the couch again on Facebook (wearing some Johnnyswim swag),  This is another new song that is definitely inspired by the times.

[OCT 23] In Johnnyswim news - they have just 2 more dates on their current tour: Kansas City and St Louis. Keep an eye on their social media account if you want to join the run club.  It looks like they've had a lot of fun with that at all the recent tour stops. Also check out this article from SavannahNow.com. It touches on a bunch of things - the music, the TV shows, etc.

[OCT 23] And speaking of Johnnyswim on TV - the latest episode of In The Kitchen With Abner and Amanda is available to stream on Magnolia, Discovery and MAX. This week they are making Shawarma on garlic flatbread. I swear I gain weight just watching their show!  LOL

[OCT 23] I think that brings us to YouTube.   Let's look at Donna on various TV specials starting with her very James Bond-esque cover of With A Little Luck on Paul Anka's special.  Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that Suzanne Somers was also a guest on that show. She passed away recently, but when  Donna passed Suzanne has very nice things to say about Donna.  My condolences to all who loved Suzanne Somers, she will be missed.

Moving on in YouTube clips, back in the day musical variety specials and/or series were a big thing so Donna got to appear on a few. She was also on David Soul's special,  Eddie Rabbit's special (where she also did Starting Over Again), a couple of  Mac Davis' specials where she did  A Song For You,  a cover of Sir Duke (with the others on the show), and a gospel medley with the others on that episode. and of course, Donna got her own special as well.  (But we had to wait over 4 decades til Brooklyn cracked open the vault before we could see the really funny outtakes.)

[OCT 15] Happy Sunday all! And best wishes to Donna's oldest grandchild Vienna Dohler! She just got married this weekend. (Now the grandkids are getting married... I feel really old. LOL)

[OCT 15] Vinyl collectors - be on the lookout for the Love To Love You/ I Feel Love/ Hot Stuff 12" Limited Edition Rainbow Pride vinyl. You can see the promo video clip on Facebook.

[OCT 15] Italy - you can catch the Love To Love You Donna Summer documentary starting now on  Sky.

[OCT 15] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, the film Fair Play starts off with Love To Love You.

[OCT 15] Johnnyswim fans - our favorite duo is still on tour and Abner is still running with fans on show days.  Everyone usually meets up at the venue at noon and they run to a local coffee shop. If you want to participate in one of the runs, keep an eye on Johnnyswim's social media: Twitter (sorry, I can't call it X), Facebook, or Instagram. Abner sometimes posts videos from the runs as well.

[OCT 15] Also in Johnnyswim news, I forgot to mention last week that In The Kitchen With Abner And Amanda season 2 is now streaming on Magnolia, Discovery+ and MAX.  There are 3 episodes available now, with more coming. I advise you not to watch while you are hungry - unless you are looking for some good ideas for dinner.  :-) Oh and episode 3 features baking with the kids - that's a fun show.

[OCT 15] Bruce Sudano, catch him live on Facebook on the couch again with It Ain't Cool.

[OCT 15] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up a video clip from VH1's Say It Loud which is a combination of performance clips, interview clips, and clips of people talking about Donna. Then we have a retrospective of Donna's music from 1968 to 2023, Donna performing with Seal on David Foster & Friends, and finally an hour video of Donna's "greatest hits".

[OCT 8] Happy Sunday all! Last week I told you that Donna was being inducted into the New England Music Hall Of Fame.  You can see Joe S accepting the award on her behalf on Facebook.

[OCT 8] American Songwriter has picked 5 songs that defined the Dance Music scene of the 1970s.  First on the list is Love To Love You Baby.  I actually thought they would have picked I Feel Love, but I think they decided that Donna had so much success in dance music that they would just pick the song that started it all for her.

[OCT 8] Bruce Sudano fans - he was live on Facebook the other day celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Ode To A Nightingale.

[OCT 8] Johnnyswim fans - the duo is on tour as you already know, and Abner's run club looks like a great success!  Keep an eye on the Johnnyswim Instagram for details, but the usual plan is that everybody meets at that night's venue at noon and they run to a local coffee shop and have coffee. Sounds like fun ... well, except for the running part. LOL (I'm more of a walker... a slow walker, who has to stop and point a camera at interesting things...  )

[OCT 8] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, a concert I haven't played in awhile -Donna live at Piranha Falconara Marittima in 1977. This one is audio only and the mix is a little off, (but the sound is very clear!) Then we have the Live & More Encore concert, a 1989 clip of Donna attempting to record a countdown promo, a promo for the 2000 Pokémon movie soundtrack, and a 1993 version of La Vie En Rose.

[SEP 30] Happy Saturday all! Since tomorrow starts a new month, the new Summer Fever Pick is up. This month we are celebrating the self-titled collaboration with Quincy Jones. (I hate to just say we are celebrating Donna Summer, because really, we are celebrating her every day!  LOL)

[SEP 30] Let's start off with award news. Tonight Donna is being inducted to the New England Music Hall Of Fame. Originally Donna's sister Linda was to be on hand for the festivities, but as she is feeling under the weather tonight, long time fan Joe S is stepping in for her. Speedy recovery to Linda!

[SEP 30] Here's a weird one for you. There is a recording act called Sweet Little Band. And they record popular music done as instrumentals suitable for babies.  They have one album called Babies Go Donna Summer that includes 7 of Donna's hits. And if you think that's odd, you should see the other albums they have - Babies Go Bob Marley, Babies Go Rolling Stones, Babies Go Guns N' Roses...  Google them and have fun. LOL

[SEP 30] On to something sane, lol, Bruce Sudano is taking  break from his couch and moving to his piano to bring us a classic Brooklyn Dreams song.  Now I have to drag out my Brooklyn Dreams albums again...   :-)

[SEP 30] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start with a fun one from 1989 where Donna tries to record a promo for the Countdown TV show.  It's not as easy as you'd think. (And I could totally see myself making the same mistakes.  LOL) Then we have an interview I haven't seen before from 1995 to promote Endless Summer and a benefit she was doing at the time, a short clip behind the scenes of Thank God It's Friday, an acapella clip of the beginning of On The Radio, and finally ads for The Complete Donna Summer.  (The first one made me laugh for no other reason than the ad is just so cheesy.  LOL I love ya Donna!)

[SEP 24] Happy Sunday all! First up this week, Brooklyn is doing a cast signing thing on Instagram with the cast of Cruel Summer.  That will be Tuesday September 26 at 2:30 PM Eastern.  If you head to her Streamily page, you can see what items are available to order.

[SEP 24] Johnnyswim fans - as you know the duo are still on tour. And Abner has been on an exercise kick for awhile now (and it shows!) So he is looking for people to run with him on show days. Keep an eye on Instagram for announcements.

[SEP 24] Bruce Sudano fans - yes, he is live on the couch AGAIN.  This time he's doing See You When I Get There from Spirals Vol 1.

[SEP 24] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's do some unusual clips this week.  First up, a young Donna in an ad for Afri-Cola. Then we have a clip of Donna singing La Dolce Vita, a clip from an unreleased song called Addiction, an alternate version of If You Got It Flaunt It, a short clip of Donna rapping Love To Love You  on The Today Show, and finally Donna's live cover of Natural Woman complete with the "twins" intro. LOL (She can still make me laugh no matter how many times I have heard the story!)

[SEP 17] Greetings all! First up is another auction of Donna's stuff.  Unfortunately I didn't realize it was going to be a one day only thing, so it already closed.  This is a bit different from the last one in that it was  mainly household things like furniture from her home in Brentwood, TN -  oh and her 1995 Mercedes.  You can look at the items here, but make sure that when the page loads you check off the box on the left hand side of the page that says "Estate of Donna Summer, Brentwood, Tennessee" otherwise you will see a whole bunch of unrelated items as well. There is also a short article about the auction here.  This auction was announced on Donna's Facebook page, but only about 2 days before the auction happened. So if you are on Facebook, make sure you keep an eye on her page, and I will not wait for a regular update if another auction is announced.

[SEP 17] Speaking of auctions, ArtNews just posted an article about the Christies auction and the documentary. This article is a little different in that it attempts to analyze  Donna's paintings to some extent.

[SEP 17]  Bruce Sudano fans - he was live from his couch again. Well, he was live from a different couch this time.  LOL (I feel like this could be a series of albums - Live From The Couch,  Live From The Other Couch, Live From An Armchair... the list could go on.  LOL) This time instead of singing a new song, he is treating us to a live version of his current single, Better Than This (currently available in all the usual places.)

[SEP 17] In other Bruce news, he has been selected as an official showcase artist for Folk Alliance International 2024.  The event is held from February 21 to 25, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

[SEP 17] Moving on to Johnnyswim (who are still on tour, by the way.) As you know, they had a cooking show on Magnolia called In The Kitchen With Abner and Amanda that will be coming back with brand new episodes on October 21.  But in the meantime, they have teamed up with In Good Company. That is one of those companies that will ship meals to your home for you to heat and eat. This one only covers Southern California,  so if that's your location check them out. At the moment they are offering Abner & Amanda's Italian Short Ribs with Polenta.

[SEP 17] If you have logged in to MAX lately (say to watch Love To Love You Donna Summer, or any of the Johnnyswim shows), you may have seen a familiar face pop up on the main screen. (At least on the TV, I seem to get a different screen if I log in through my computer.)  Anyway, in honor of Latin Heritage Month MAX is doing Nuestras Voces and they have used photos of Abner, Pedro Pascal (without his Mandalorian helmet - yes I am a Star Wars nerd LOL), and Diane Guerrero.

[SEP 17] That brings us to YouTube. Since there has been a bunch of talk about Divas 2000 on the forum, let's look at clips from that.  First up Donna's performances: Bad Girls, Love Is The Healer and Reflections.  Then we have some interviews and rehearsal footage (note the end with the footage of the trio that never happened on show night),  and of course the finale, Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

[SEP 10] Happy Sunday all! It's pretty quiet this week.  Johnnyswim is still on tour for a few more weeks. You can catch highlights on their Instagram.  And if they are coming to your town - get yourself a ticket! You will not regret it!

[SEP 10] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce was Live From The Couch again on Facebook for the first time in...? A long time.  He's back with a new one he wrote while he was on tour with The Zombies.

[SEP 10] That brings us to YouTube.  First up is  the 2023 Extended Revisit mix of I Feel Love.  Then we have Spring Affair from Soul Train,  an extended mix of Now I Need You, Love To Love You from The Midnight Special, MacArthur Park from American Idol, and a video for Try Me.

[SEP 03] Greetings all and happy Sunday! I can't believe it's September already! It's time for a new Summer Fever Pick and this month we will be celebrating all the colors in I'm A Rainbow.

[SEP 03] I guess we can start with Bruce this week.  :-) He recently did an interview with Harvey Brownstone, and you can catch it on YouTube.  It's a pretty long interview that covers a lot of ground from childhood to now. And yes, there is a bunch of Donna stuff in there too.   :-)

[SEP 03] And speaking of Bruce - I told you last week, he is selling t-shirts now.  If you grab one and send his Facebook a photo of you wearing the shirt, he just might share it.  :-)

[SEP 03] Johnnyswim fans - they are still on tour until the end of October. Also, the second season of their cooking show debuts on Discovery+ on October 21, AND on Instagram Abner periodically teases new songs in the works, so I suspect the last quarter of 2023 is going to be a fun time for all the fans.  :-)

[SEP 03] In Donna news, she ended August 2023 with 16.3 million streams on Spotify.  That made August her 4th best streaming month. So if anyone is wondering where Donna Summer fans hang out on the web - clearly Spotify is on the list.  :-)

[SEP 03] In documentary news,  The Goa Spotlight has recommended 4 films to watch from Disney+, MAX, Prime Video, and Filmin and their recommendation for MAX is Love To Love You Donna Summer.   :-)

[SEP 03] I think that brings us to YouTube. I think this week we should celebrate the new Summer Fever Pick. So let's start off with the title track, I'm A Rainbow. Then we have Don't Cry For Me Argentina from a 1993 TV appearance,  and the official music video for Romeo. Donna doesn't actually appear in that - they just used clips from Flashdance.  Moving on we have the Ladies On Mars Street Race Mix of Highway Runner, and To Turn The Stone from the original Broadway cast of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (sung by Ariana DeBose).

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