Christmas Follow-Up, Part II

A couple more issues from the last few weeks that I need to comment on.

First, for those of you who think Wii injuries are something to be laughed at, I must ask that you cease your snickering. Video evidence shows the seriousness of the problem, aside from the repetitive motion injuries. First, a young man comes up with the brilliant idea of attaching his Wii stick to a baseball bat and using it to play Wii Baseball. First of all, there's a reason they strongly encourage the use of the wrist strap, and this is it. Second, how can the Mom taking the video be so darn calm?

Another Wii Baseball problem: a broken hand. Again, read the directions -- they warn you 100 times to make sure the area around you is clear.

If you don't know what all of that Wii stuff is all about, you're probably better off anyway.

Enough of that foolishness. On to more serious issues.

In my recent post about good and bad Christmas songs, I mentioned my father's admiration for Eartha Kitt, whom he told me he had first heard on "New Faces of 1952," which I identified as a TV show. Dad tried to write a comment on the blog, and then tried to e-mail me, and technology failed him both times. So when I saw him over Christmas, he gave me a copy of the e-mail he had sent:

Just got around to reading your blog of Wednesday, 12/10/08. I'm happy to learn that you were listeningwhen we talked about Eartha Kitt. I just want to set the record straight. New Faces of 1952 was a Broadway production, not a TV show. It introduced new talent to the world. The song she sang was "Under the Bridges of Paris." I remember the words as if it were yesterday.

My darling why I sing this song is easy to explain.
It tells what happens all along the bridges of the Seine.
The vagabonds go there at night to sing all their troubles away.
And when the moon is shining bright my heart wants to sing it this way.
How woud you like to be
Down by the Seine with me
Oh what I'd give for a moment or two
Under the brisges of Paris with you.
Darling, I'd hold you tight
Far from the eyes of night,
I'd make ytour dreams come true.

She continued with a chorus or two in French and then back to English. All with a very sultry French accent. Remember, I was a freshman in high school at the time.

Oh, the memories.

First of all, let me just say, I always listen when I'm spoken to. I don't necessarily do what I'm asked to do, but I listen.

Dad gave me the e-mail, and the background story (he played the song over and over on a record; he didn't see the show), on the morning of the day after Christmas. About 20 minutes later, I read in the paper that Eartha Kitt had died the day before-- Christmas day. What a strange coincidence.

"New Faces of 1952" was made into a movie; I can't find a clip, but here's a tribute to her, with the song. I still like Eartha as Catwoman, but that's just me....