The Tree is Lit
Look at that lovely tree. It’s the National Christmas Tree as part of the Annual Pageant of Peace, featuring 56 smaller trees representing the 50 states and 6 associated territories (including our own District of Columbia). The tree was lit tonight as part of an incredibly shlocky 90 minute program featuring John Conlee, Cathy Rigby, Eartha Kitt, and B.J. Thomas. If you’ve only heard of one of those performers, you’re doing about as well as I am.
Eartha Kitt was the only name I recognized, and her rendition of “Santa Baby” was pretty darn impressive. Her “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” though, wasn’t so good. What John Conlee did to “O Holy Night” is actually a crime in six southern states. And can someone please tell me why Cathy Rigby sang something from Peter Pan on stage?
The whole thing is certainly an American Tradition, but I can’t decide if it’s one that needs some quality time being reformed.
Santa Baby is classic Eartha
Cathy Rigby played Peter Pan on Broadway though I don’t know what it has to do with Christmas
B.J. Thomas sang some song about weather from a cowboy movie that starred the guy on salad dressing labels
Had I known you were going I would have hooked up with you Tom. I’m surprised we didn’t run into each other. Eartha (the original Catwoman) was terrific, even flashing some leg to Santa. As far as Cathy Rigby, I guess the idea was to appeal to kids. There was obviously a lot of self promotion going on there. The other two performers did absolutely nothing for me, but the Singing Angels choir was pretty good.
I actually didn’t like the Singing Angels at all. Cheesy arrangements, vapid songs, show-choir moves, and some of the girls had clearly spent too much time watching American Idol. Being teenagers, though, I can forgive them for lapses of taste. Not sure what their director was thinking, though.
I loved Eartha Kitt, though, and can even forgive her for forgetting the words in the middle of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The cold was probably distracting. ;)
I thought Cathy Rigby was an ice skater…