Barry Manilow covers himself in new album
On his last two albums, Barry Manilow tackled songs made famous by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and other greats. But his new album presented a real challenge: covering himself.
“Trying to redo ‘Mandy,' trying to redo ‘I Write the Songs' - it was the most complicated thing I'd ever done in my life,” he says.
It was inevitable Manilow would end up redoing songs from his own career, given his recent artistic direction. In January 2006, he released “The Greatest Songs of the Fifties” - which promptly debuted at the top of the charts and sold more than one million copies. Months later, he was at it again, this time with “The Greatest Songs of the Sixties,” also a top seller.
On Tuesday, he reaches into the past once again with the release of the two-disc “The Greatest Songs of the Seventies,” which includes songs made famous by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and Carole King.
“These songs that I'm doing on the ‘Seventies' album, they were competition (then),” says Manilow. “It was kind of an interesting experience for me, because a lot of these songs, we were battling it out up at the top of the charts. Now I realize how wonderfully written they are.”
‘Match Game's' Brett Somers dies at 83
Actress and comedian Brett Somers, who amused game show fans with her quips on the “Match Game” in the 1970s, has died, her son said. She was 83.
Somers died Saturday at her home in Westport of stomach and colon cancer, Adam Klugman said Monday. Hosted by Gene Rayburn, “Match Game” was the top game show during much of the 1970s. Contestants would try to match answers to nonsense questions with a panel of celebrities; much of the humor came from the racy quips and putdowns.
Shows from the 1973-79 run are still seen on cable TV's GSN.
Somers married actor Jack Klugman, the future star of the television shows “Quincy” and “The Odd Couple,” in 1953. The two separated in 1974, but never divorced.
They made many television appearances as a couple. Somers appeared on several episodes of “The Odd Couple,” playing the ex-wife of Klugman's character.
Ed Burns talks about
wooing wife Turlington
Ed Burns says it took hard work to woo Christy Turlington.
“Friends of ours had tried to fix us up - we both live in New York, we're both pretty low-key, both heterosexual - but she was like, ‘Uh, not really interested,”' the 39-year-old actor-director tells Best Life magazine. “That did not deter me. I just wanted to get her to laugh.” How long did it take to build up the nerve to kiss her?
“Probably within five minutes of meeting her,” Burns says. “Which hurt my chances. It took her a long time to come around. But I got her good and drunk, if I remember correctly, which never hurts.”
Turlington and Burns wed in 2003. They have two children.
- From wire reports
“Trying to redo ‘Mandy,' trying to redo ‘I Write the Songs' - it was the most complicated thing I'd ever done in my life,” he says.
It was inevitable Manilow would end up redoing songs from his own career, given his recent artistic direction. In January 2006, he released “The Greatest Songs of the Fifties” - which promptly debuted at the top of the charts and sold more than one million copies. Months later, he was at it again, this time with “The Greatest Songs of the Sixties,” also a top seller.
On Tuesday, he reaches into the past once again with the release of the two-disc “The Greatest Songs of the Seventies,” which includes songs made famous by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and Carole King.
“These songs that I'm doing on the ‘Seventies' album, they were competition (then),” says Manilow. “It was kind of an interesting experience for me, because a lot of these songs, we were battling it out up at the top of the charts. Now I realize how wonderfully written they are.”
‘Match Game's' Brett Somers dies at 83
Actress and comedian Brett Somers, who amused game show fans with her quips on the “Match Game” in the 1970s, has died, her son said. She was 83.
Somers died Saturday at her home in Westport of stomach and colon cancer, Adam Klugman said Monday. Hosted by Gene Rayburn, “Match Game” was the top game show during much of the 1970s. Contestants would try to match answers to nonsense questions with a panel of celebrities; much of the humor came from the racy quips and putdowns.
Shows from the 1973-79 run are still seen on cable TV's GSN.
Somers married actor Jack Klugman, the future star of the television shows “Quincy” and “The Odd Couple,” in 1953. The two separated in 1974, but never divorced.
They made many television appearances as a couple. Somers appeared on several episodes of “The Odd Couple,” playing the ex-wife of Klugman's character.
Ed Burns talks about
wooing wife Turlington
Ed Burns says it took hard work to woo Christy Turlington.
“Friends of ours had tried to fix us up - we both live in New York, we're both pretty low-key, both heterosexual - but she was like, ‘Uh, not really interested,”' the 39-year-old actor-director tells Best Life magazine. “That did not deter me. I just wanted to get her to laugh.” How long did it take to build up the nerve to kiss her?
“Probably within five minutes of meeting her,” Burns says. “Which hurt my chances. It took her a long time to come around. But I got her good and drunk, if I remember correctly, which never hurts.”
Turlington and Burns wed in 2003. They have two children.
- From wire reports