![]() Sometimes I Dream $12.98 Forget the age of battling boy bands, the era of dueling young tenors is upon us. Hot on the heels of Josh Groban's dizzyingly successful, Ally McBeal-fueled debut comes this first international release from African-born, Greek-raised tenor Mario Frangoulis. There are some clear parallels between Groban's debut and this Frangoulis release, but some distinctive differences as well. While Groban coated his slick, David Foster-molded pop sense with a veneer of classical respectability, Frangoulis has effectively turned the formula inside out. With similar classical training--but a few crucial years of experience on his American rival--Frangoulis treats the classics reverently but not slavishly, with the title track effectively turning an aria from Puccini's Tosca into romantic Europop. Elsewhere, the international flavor is further expanded by three melody-rich songs ("Hijo de la Luna," "La Luna de Valencia," and "Naturaleza Muerta") by Spanish singer-songwriter Jose Maria Cano and a sing-along-ready take on the 1950s Neapolitan chestnut "Luna Rossa." Like Groban, Frangoulis and producer Steve Woods also plumb the music of la cinema italiana for inspiration, turning Nicola Piovani's bittersweet Life Is Beautiful theme into the ponderous "Buongiorno Principessa," but faring better with a moody, dramatic take on Rota-Wertmuller's "Canzone Arribiata." The obligatory rock-pop cover here is the flamenco-inflected "Nights in White Satin", with Frangoulis joined in a bilingual duet with original Moody Blue Justin Hayward that's surprisingly effective. Less showy perhaps than Groban's debut, but a more nuanced and emotionally satisfying album overall. --Jerry McCulley ![]() Wings - The Complete First and Second Seasons $29.99 A popular and well-regarded comedy that ran for eight seasons in the '90s, Wings was created by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee, the team that worked together on Cheers and later created Frasier. Tim Daly and Steven Weber play two brothers, Joe and Brian Hackett, respectively, who parted ways many years ago when a woman left Joe to marry Brian. Joe, the straitlaced do-everything-right brother, is running Sandpiper Air, a small airline on the island of Nantucket that runs commuter flights to the New England coast, when he reluctantly offers a job to Brian, the carefree brother who's also a pilot. Others who work at the airport are Helen (Crystal Bernard), the former girl-next-door who now works the lunch counter and aspires to be a professional cello player; Lowell (Thomas Haden Church), the not-all-there mechanic; Roy (David Schramm), the owner of the rival airline AeroMass; and Fay, who handles Sandpiper's front desk. Over the short (six episodes) first season, Joe and Brian develop romantic triangles over both Helen and Brian's ex-wife, Carol (Kim Johston Ulrich), and Brian tries to set up Joe with the island tramp (Megan Mullaly). In the second season, the romantic entanglements continue, Joe develops a health problem that keeps him from flying, and we meet the last major member of the cast, Italian cab driver Antonio Scarpacci (Tony Shalhoub). Guest stars include Cheers' George Wendt and John Ratzenberger, Abraham Benrubi (ER) as Roy's son, and David Ogden Stiers as a conductor whom Helen tries to impress. While much of the regular cast faded from view after Wings, Shalhoub and Church garnered critical acclaim for their work on Monk and Sideways, respectively. --David Horiuchi ![]() Londons Times Religion Heaven Hell Cartoons - Sometimes Internet Connections Take The Patience Of Job - Light Switch Covers - double toggle switch $17.75 Sometimes Internet Connections Take The Patience Of Job Light Switch Cover is new and handcrafted utilizing unique process resulting in a stunning high gloss ceramic-like finish. SET OF MATCHING SCREWS IS INCLUDED giving it a perfect finishing touch. Made of durable metal material. ![]() Set of 10 Pre-packaged plastic Pro Series tally balls (115). Complete set of plastic tally balls (sometimes called pills or peas) for Tally Pool (also known as kelly pool, pill pool, or pea pool). $20.00 Pre-packaged plastic Pro Series tally balls (115). Complete set of plastic tally balls (sometimes called pills or peas) for Tally Pool (also known as kelly pool, pill pool, or pea pool). |
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