danced one

Dance Dance Revolution Strawberry Shortcake Plug N Play
$19.99
My 7 1/2 year old bought this with a gift card. I discouraged her because it said it was for age 4 and up and I thought she was too old for Strawberry Shortcake. She just loves it. It is still difficult for her, but she is getting the hang of it and all of her 1st grade friends love it too. The babysitters really enjoy it too. There is no way she could have done this at 4. I would not buy this for kids younger than 6. You will be disappointed. Buy the younger kids the Smart Cycle. It is a blast and they get some exercise!!

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
$59.98
BROADWAY-THE AMERICAN MUSICAL was originally, I believe, a PBS Documentary that can now be purchased on DVD. I haven't seen any of the PBS Show. However, I am a huge fan of Broadway shows and music. I am a firm believer that the best music of America can be sewn across the tapestry of Broadway: here we have Sondheim and Streisand, Armstrong and Astaire, Merman and Martin, Berlin and Buckley. Listen to this music and you'll hear the music of America itself.

Okay, enough of my philosophical observations on Broadway. I already know that you love Broadway music. If you don't, you would have stopped reading before the end of the first paragraph. The question you want answered is this: I want a set of great Broadway music that I'll love; some that I know, some that I don't. Is this the set that I should buy?

The answer is: yes.

This set is brilliant, and well-worth the money you'll spend for it. That amount of money is quite a bit. However, with five CDs, 109 songs, and a twenty-something page booklet that is interesting and well-written, you will feel very satisfied with your purchase.

Quick, now, look back to the first paragraph and reread the names listed there. All of those were taken straight from this CD collection, and there are lots more besides those. I still haven't gotten to Jolson, Rivera, Andrews, Orbach, Grey, Lansbury, Mostel, or Channing (plus more). Initially, with this set, you will be overwhelmed with all of the great names and great music. It helps if you listen to it in order (Disc One before Disc 3, etc.), since all of the songs (excluding the first, GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY, which opens every Broadway set) are in chronological order. Listen to a song, and then read the annotation in the book. It will help you comprehend why this song, and the musical it belongs to, are important in Broadway history.

Or, you could just listen for enjoyment.

There are tons of beautiful songs here that I will cherish for the rest of my life: "Memory" from Cats, "Hello, Dolly!" from, well, Hello Dolly, "Open a New Window" from Mame, "Try to Remember" from The Fantasticks. Believe it or not, I had never heard any of these songs in their entirety before I purchased this set. Just think of what I was missing!

Of course, there are some slight disputable errors. There is nothing here from RAGTIME or ASPECTS OF LOVE. And, a couple of songs are sort of unnessecary (I could have done without "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from FLOWER DRUM SONG, 1958.) However, there are many gems I would have overlooked if I had purchased a less comprehensive set: songs like "Luck Be a Lady" from GUYS AND DOLLS or "The Party's Over" from BELLS ARE RINGING.

Overall, this is the set to have. It is a bit pricy, but the money is well worth the many hours of memories and pure enjoyment. Appreciate the magic of Broadway!

Andre Rieu: The Homecoming! Songs From My Heart (Exclusive PBS Premium Edition) [VHS]

Part One: 1. Carmen Overture 2. Aviator's March 3. You're Worth Your Weight in Gold 4. Song of Vilja 5. Heut ist der sch���nste Tag 6. Ach ich hab' in meinem Herzen 7. Concierto d'Aranjuez 8. Swinging Bells of Limburg 9. Funiculi Funicula 10. The White Horse Inn 11. Second Waltz 12. Chianti Song 13. Maastricht Anthem Part Two: 14. Radetzky March 15. Ob blond, ob braun 16. I Could Have Danced All Night 17. With A Little Bit of Luck 18. Juliska from Budapest 19. Memory 20. A Bright Young Man (Strauss & Co.) 21. Toselli Serenade 22. Libiamo 23. La donna ��� mobile 24. Auld Lang Syne 25. Ode to Maastricht 26. Lullaby 27. Entry March 28. Maastricht, City of Jolly Singers Exclusive Bonus Features 29. My Father's Favorite 30. Hallelujah 31. French Medley 32. Mon Amant de Saint Jean - "Two Weeks in Two Minutes" (Preparing Maastricht Square) - Photo Gallery: 30 stills from the concert set to the musi of Auld Lang Syne

Salome Where She Danced
$2.99
It's no wonder that Leonard Maltin rated this film a "bomb." It is. I have the colorized VHS, and that makes things even worse. The script is written in cliches. The story is ridiculous, taking place in Europe and in the American West. (After a 23-hour stage coach ride to the frontier town that was her destination, Yvonne looks clean and refreshed, heavy makeup still perfect.) The "dancing" is pathetic, and wholly unerotic. (At least they taught 23-year-old Yvonne how to bound around on toe shoes.) The acting is moronic; Rod Cameron especially needed to earn an honest living. Charles Lamont, the director, did his usual worst. In short, a "bomb."