About Masterclass Lady
Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli.
When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler.
She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8.
In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman.
In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins.
In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright.
In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins.
Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
May 24, 2011 
Masterclass Lady On MySpace.Com
Vocalist.Org
MasterClassLady.Com 
WHAT? Get out of town! You have got to be kidding.
Ratings ploy or the best idea I’ve heard in along time.
It’s Tuesday night!
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Whoa – this would be simply stunning! Hope Lauren can sing, because it would be horrible for her if she can’t.
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In my opinion, as a singer, better to withdraw than to crash & burn on national TV. But I feel for Lauren. I have had laryngitis for almost a month now & have been unable to sing. It is SO frustrating. I’m amazed that these kids sing as well as they do considering all the rehearsing, recording studio tracks, week after week after week. God bless them. I will keep Lauren in my prayers tonight.
Hey, it’s Gene W.!! People have been looking for you :).
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Hi Darlene,
You make good points. It might give Lauren a better chance at a win if they gave her a spot in next years top 10 rather than compete tonight in less than prime condition.
Thanks for the heads up on the search for the MIA me. I posted on the other thread a little bit ago.
It’s getting close to your birthday, isn’t it?
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what?? this is crazy?? apparently she is okay though….hm.
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OK, cynicism alert!! I know Lauren isn’t faking BUT this is going to bring in some sympathy votes for sure.
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Darlene – good point. My curiosity wants to know…isn’t it bad for her to push through and sing? could she potentially ruining he voice forever?
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Hi Gene!! I will only be 55 for about 2.5 days. And on my birthday I am going to observe voice rest and stay home. It’s going to be a perfect day :).
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Gene W,
There you are young man; you have had us worried out of our minds (that’s not a far reach for me)…What were you thinking running off like that and not telling anyone where you were going; we have paged you, sent out all points bulletins, and nothing. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Gald t have you back though!!! 😉
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Great question, bizzee! But no, I don’t think she’ll ruin her voice forever unless she were to do this over and over and over i.e. try to push through laryngitis when she should really be observing voice rest. She does need to figure out whatever she can do to keep herself in good shape during the tour. I never read the actual quote but someone in this forum said that Kelly Clarkson said her voice was never the same after the Tour. I don’t know if what they made her do on Tour was different from what TPTB make the singers do now.
I just keep thinking about how young she is & how a few more years & some good voice lessons could have done so much for her.
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I smell a rat and it’s name is TPTB…how convenient for Lauren to have a need for sympathy votes!
Paallleezzee!!!
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I am not actually watching, BTW. I am sitting in my office while my trusty TiVO is doing the recording duty. So keep me posted on how it’s going.
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OK, take that back. I am watching via the wonder of Twitter (it’s taking me to the videos of the performances). Just listened to “Flat on the Floor”. Lauren does not sound good. She has pretty good traction in the middle but when she goes up into the upper part of her voice she’s not singing at all. But like I said, sympathy votes can be a wonderful thing. She sure does look cute. It must be very frustrating for her to not be able to sing as well as she can.
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Okay Gene W,
I’m going to beg to differ with you on the coin toss debate!!!
I am a Virginia Southern girl, so maybe our southern neck of the woods does things a little different..IF Lauren wanted to accept the offer she still should have chosen to go first; after all this is a competition and not a coin toss for who will go first at putt-putt!!!
Just sayin’…!
Stay out of the ladies dressing room! 😉
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I am so upset right now that I can barely type this! I wasn’t online for a while today and missed this whole drama about Lauren possibly not being able to sing. Come on, now! Are we supposed to believe that this isn’t a ploy for sympathy?
I will have to wait until the show is aired out here on the west coast to hear it for myself. I tried reading comments on MJ’s blog, but they were all pretty negative about the whole finale like they have been since Haley was voted off. I don’t trust their opinions at all.
For the record, MJ said Lauren should win even after admitting that she didn’t sound good due to this voice issue. She really wants Scotty to lose just because he supposedly has this locked up. I also read the judges comments and would like to strangle them! It seems as though they were trying to roll that bus right over Scotty.
I am going to listen for myself and then make up my own mind.
So I see that Gene has finally made an appearance! It’s about time! As far as the coin toss, I am will Vonnie all the way!
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I am WITH Vonnie all the way!
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Hi Mindy. I’m voting for Scotty. I’m very very annoyed but sadly not surprised by what TPTB have pulled. Lauren didn’t sound good on the first song but she seemed better as the night progressed. Surprise!! What a joke. The consolation, of course, is that Scotty is going to be just fine no matter what. He’s a centered, polished performer with an amazing voice. He will go far. Lauren? We’ll see about that.
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Mindy,
The buses were gased and ready…poor Scotty!!!
I’m voting!
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But I do have to say that I think this is the last year that I’m going to allow myself to be manipulated by this insanity. It’s not fair to the contestants & it sure as heck isn’t fair to us. Not that life is fair – it’s not, ask the people in Joplin. But this is just plain manipulative crap.
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Mindy & Vonnie,
I realize you two are upset right now, but did you notice the way Scotty looked at Lauren after the judge’s comments! What a great gentleman that Scotty is!! Vote your hearts out for him ladies!!!
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A great show…but definitely set up for a Lauren win!
Anita, he did look so sad. Especially after JLo’s comment of Lauren winning it all – foreshadowing???
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Just to remind everyone – I haven’t seen the show yet. I am just going online trying to get some feedback on the performances.
Darlene,
You are a professional singer. Do you think there was something wrong with Lauren’s voice? I saw a picture of a doctor they brought out on stage to say that Lauren blew a vocal cord when she was rehearsing. I don’t know what that means, for one thing, and also can you sing if that happens no matter what they do for you?
Is this part of their wretched manipulation to get the win for Lauren? Do they have to do that far? Good grief!
Now I really upset reading that Scotty looked sad at the end. I don’t blame him, because the stupid judges called it for Lauren. I am so mad right now that I can barely type!
The comments on MJ’s blog are truly revolting, even for them. They said that Scotty was bad on his last two songs, the one that Jimmy picked and the one that George picked. Does anyone who heard it have an opinion?
No matter what, I will be voting my fingers off for my sweet Scotty!
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My heart broke for him. Poor Scotty.
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Dearest Mindy,
Thanks for the professional label. I’m a dedicated amateur but I do know something about how someone sounds when they supposedly are having vocal issues/laryngitis. Please correct me if I’m off base with any of these comments, MCL. I think the idea of her “blowing a vocal cord” is completely bogus. I didn’t watch the doctor’s comments but I think I will right now. I thought Lauren sounded a little rough on the first song but then there seemed to be a miraculous (and “right on cue”) recovery in the 2nd & 3rd numbers. I’m really feeling manipulated by TPTB & unfortunately, I think that the manipulation will work to Lauren’s advantage. While I’m glad to see a girl win, I just wish it hadn’t been under these circumstances.
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Oh, addendum (as usual, can’t put all my thoughts into one post): Scotty sounded just fine. In fact, he sounded amazing. Period.
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Anita,
Scotty is a gentleman, indeed! I wrote that in my notes. 😀 I honestly feel that Scotty and Lauren were both sending reassuring looks each other’s way. I really felt the brother-sister kinship between the two, and I don’t think Scotty looked upset. Personally, anyway.
This is a kid who’d already packed his bags on top 4 night because he was convinced he’d go home. Scotty isn’t afraid of losing. He seems more concerned for Lauren and how she’s holding up than anything else, and that, to me, speaks volumes of Scotty’s character. He’s resigned to whatever the judges say. He seems very at peace. He has a good head on his shoulders, and I’m proud of him for that.
I don’t think Scotty wants us to be upset for him (and he certainly doesn’t want us to sad bad things about his “little sister” Lauren!). He’ll be just fine. I know it.
(Also, I want to point out that Rosanne posted the DialIdol predictions in the other topic! Scotty has a huge lead right now.)
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Mindy,
I may be biased…but I thought Scotty was AWESOME!!!
Wow! Could this have been anymore planned?
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*say bad things
I have to jet right now (was supposed to be somewhere ten minutes ago), but for the record, I believe Lauren’s vocal troubles are real.
Her reprise of “Flat on the Floor” pales in contrast to her first performance by FAR. She encountered lots of hyperadduction and sounded fatigued and hoarse in the first two songs. Although she sounded much better in her third song, she cracked on the big note, so all that’s to say: in my mind, I have no doubt that Lauren had a rough time with her voice tonight. She looked so sad after her voice gave out on her.
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What a bunch of baloney in my opinion. OK, according to the doctor (and of course this a quote) she “blew out her vocal cords” (whatever that means) & she got cortisone injections in her cords?? And it’s “standard procedure” in cases like this? Cut me a break. I wonder if my opera fave Joyce DiDonato has ever had cortisone injections in her cords? Somehow I think not. I think this is the most staged crap I’ve ever witnessed.
The sad thing is that if even half of this is true, Lauren is going to pay for it at some point. She’s 16 years old & at this rate she may not have a voice in 5 years.
I would be very interested to hear MCL’s thoughts on all this & I will also discuss it with my singing teacher on Thursday when I see him again.
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OK, that’s the second time I posted & it didn’t make it into Internet reality :). I will try again. Hi, J, glad to see your thoughts here. I think the idea of Lauren’s “blowing out her vocal cords” & her still sounding as good as she did is pretty bogus. Here’s a link that I found:
http://www.starpulse.com/news/SheKnows_Entertainment/2011/05/24/american_idol_lauren_alaina_will_perfo
This snippet goes on to claim that Lauren got steroid injections in her cords and that this is somehow “standard procedure in cases like this”. Really?? I wonder if my opera fave, Joyce DiDonato, ever had steroid injections in her cords. Somehow I think not. The sad sad thing is that Lauren is only 16. At this rate, she may not have any voice left in 5 years.
I agree with J’s assessment of the 2 songs, the first in particular, which sounded quite bad to me. I admire her courage in going out there. But I also think the amount of manipulation by TPTB going on here is nauseating.
I would be very interested in MCL’s thoughts on the vocal cord/steroid injection issue. I also plan on discussing this with my singing teacher on Thursday when I see him again.
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Darlene – I suspected that the doctor loaded her with steroids. Well, she’s off to a great start, isn’t she? Tons of pimping and mega drugs and, voila, here is your American Idol. Really, really sad. I would be embarrassed to be a part of this show right now.
Steroids are taboo in my life. Good vocal technique is the only medicine one should ever need to become a healthy, vibrant singer.
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I’m a little annoyed. I thought Scotty sounded fantastic tonight! Especially on his George Strait song. Even my dad commented tonight – he thought it was George Strait singing the song, until I told him it was Scotty who is one of the finalists. And my dad hasn’t even watched Idol all year. HE just happened to watch it tonight, because I wouldn’t give up the TV. 🙂
IF you close your eyes and listen, just listen to Scotty and then find George Strait singing it and do the same, it’s pretty good. At least that’s my opinion.
His other two songs were fantastic too. He definitely didn’t get the credit he deserved tonight.
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“Really, really sad. I would be embarrassed to be a part of this show right now.”
MCL…I so agree with this!
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side note:
the only difference is George Strait sings it a tad higher. I guess that would make it in a different key.
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All I got to say Idol is…you better hope Simon’s X-Factor isn’t better than you!
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Hi MCL. I appreciate your opinion because I totally agree with it regarding the use of steroids. Yes, they work in the short run but in the long run they do not do anyone any favors. TPTB should have done the right thing, taken Lauren out of the race, and put Haley on. But they chose to do the thing that would probably make them the most money. No big surprise but sad nonetheless. Plus they played it up big time to get the sympathy vote.
I’m really worried about Lauren. She is not getting good guidance and it will only get worse with the Tour.
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I agree Darlene. But, in all fairness to AI, the whole show would have to be revamped on such short notice if Lauren withdrew. It still is a mess, though, and worrisome re the future direction and success of Lauren’s career. What are they thinking?
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I just voted non-stop for Scotty for two hours. I too was really irritated tonight–not only about the possibility that Lauren would be getting sympathy votes, but also because they gave her that song at the end about mothers. Who votes on Idol?–WOMEN!!! What a setup!!! Even my husband agreed with me! And it was SO obvious that the judges were having a hard time praising Scotty–especially J Lo and Steven. I’m remembering J Lo telling Lauren a few weeks ago that they wanted her to get to the final. The others didn’t stand a chance this season. Sad.
I’m still hoping for a Scotty win, but won’t be at all surprised if it’s Lauren.
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I agree, MCL, that Lauren’s withdrawal would have created a lot of chaos. I think the situation is more symptomatic of the stress that they have put Lauren (& the other contestants) under during the whole season. The urging by JLo that she “push her voice even if it cracks” comes to mind. I also agree with Louise regarding the magnitude of manipulation that was employed tonight. Ugh. And double ugh.
The good news (sort of) is that I think it could backfire. People might be voting for Scotty even more than they might have otherwise. I guess we’ll see what happens.
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Well Darlene, according to Dial Idol, he is miles ahead of Lauren
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Darlene,
It actually is true that this is standard procedures in situations like this, at least in regards to pop singers, American Idol, and having to sing last minute. Established professionals have the luxury of canceling if something like this happened, but when the show must go on, the cortisone shots come out.
The “blowing out a vocal cord” description doesn’t sound too scientific, but perhaps what happened is she popped a blood vessel in one of the vocal cords, which is not unlikely.
In fact, that’s what happened to Katharine McPhee in her finale. She was quoted in Teen People saying, “I popped a blood vessel in my vocal cords a week before we met Clive Davis… I was on vocal restriction and had to get a cortisone shot before the finale.”
Jordin Sparks also had a popped blood vessel as well, but during per post-Idol days:
http://googlenewsnow.blogspot.com/2008/04/jordin-sparks-cancels-shows-due-to.html
I remember reading that the cortisone shot works as a temporary fix to help singers sing through the difficulty, but of course, in the long term, it’s not a good solution. It serves as an adrenaline boost to help singers ignore the pain, but those who are not careful can hurt themselves even more. (Pain is important for a reason; it’s your body protecting itself!)
That said, I believe Lauren will be fine if she gets proper vocal instruction and takes care of her voice from now on. The voice is remarkably resilient, and most vocal damage can be undone with rehabilitation and the adoption of healthy vocal habits.
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Thanks, J. Great analysis of the situation. What do you think, though, of the business about steroid shots directly into the cords? On top of being a singer, I’m also a physician (psychiatrist to be exact). I would think direct injection of the cords would be a pretty risky business & I had never heard of it. Oral or intramuscular steroids seems more likely to have been what was done so that Lauren could sing.
I’m glad to hear that Scotty is ahead. He truly deserves to win, in my opinion. Lauren is cute & has a reasonably good voice. But in my opinion, Scotty is the real deal.
On that note, I’m going to vote for Scotty a few more times & then call it a day (morning). Thanks to everyone for the great discussion.
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*procedures = procedure
*per = her
[Sorry for typos today! I’m strangely tired out of the blue.]
***
Honestly, I am not a conspiracy theorist, and I don’t dwell too much on Idol machinations because that’s too much negative energy for me. And the theories go in circles.
I don’t focus my energy on things I cannot control. Whatever the producers did or judges said cannot be changed. I personally choose not to spend any more time thinking about either of those things than I have to because it just drains me, and it’s unproductive.
To be honest, I was disappointed with tonight’s show, and I haven’t a thing against either of the two, but that’s just how it turns out sometimes.
For those with favorites left in the game, I encourage you to be upbeat and vote your hearts out! 😀 😉
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Darlene,
You brought up a good point! I will see if I can find peer-reviewed research on the safety of such injections.
I did not know that you were a physician! Did you share this with us before? 😉 Hehe, wow, so many amazing individuals in this MCL community. I love it! We all have surprises left in store. 😀
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Darlene,
Here you go! I hope you find this artcle helpful. 🙂
Steroid injection in chronic inflammatory vocal fold disorders, literature review
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=s0034-72992008000600017&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en [HTML]
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rboto/v74n6/en_v74n6a17.pdf [PDF]
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I’m an avid reader of both this site and MJ’s Big Blog, and tonight’s antics made me sick to my stomach. Lauren is a fragile girl, but she doesn’t need to be coddled or treated differently or shoved into the media eye with this crazy stuff. The finale would have been so much better if the judges actually critiqued for once, and if we were just told at the beginning that Lauren lost her voice but is good to go! I think bringing the doctor on stage to discuss her medical condition was unnecessary. Don’t get me wrong, I feel for Lauren. I can’t imagine the pressure being put on these two at such a young age, but I just hope she can strengthen them with the right amount of training and such.
I’ve read some comments about Scotty’s character being shown tonight, and I completely agree. He was a total class act — he was there to have fun, and support his fellow Idol star Lauren. He kept showing supportive glances, hugs and smiles, and he took the ridiculous “Lauren walked all over you tonight” statements from the judges with poise and confidence. He’s only 17 and he really has maturity that most would kill for, and I commend that.
That being said, I thought Scotty’s performances were very good tonight. They have been all season, and that’s why I feel like he should win. He’s never had the “pimp spot,” he’s been consistent, and has stayed true to himself AND his character. However, Lauren did have a good night for her situation, and my hat’s off to her. She has a voice, a big one. With proper training, I think she could be something special. Though, the single being about her mom and her getting to go hug her and the crying was all a bit much for me. I also don’t like people telling me who to vote for. Jimmy saying that Scotty would have the confetti raining down on him, and the judges overly praising Lauren and saying that she was the new winner… turned me off.
Overall, I thought the two contestants did great, but it’s TPTB and all outside forces that are making the experience less than pleasurable. And I apologize if this comment seems scattered/unorganized. I’m just trying to get my thoughts down in a non-hostile environment, which I find hard to do over at MJ’s sometimes. So, thank you MCL for allowing us to express our opinions in a very calm and welcoming place. 🙂
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I am hitting redial with one hand while trying to type this with the other. Okay, I can stop for a few minutes to share my thoughts now that I have seen the finale.
I thought Scotty was great reprising “Gone” for his first performance. I also think he sounded great on the George Strait song. For what it’s worth, MJ says that he totally phoned it in for the finale. I think she’s full of it, to be blunt.
Lauren’s voice sounded hoarse, fatigued and almost like a croack in some parts of her songs. She had no lower register, lost the words completely and was clearly struggling. I felt kind of sick watching her and hearing the strain in her voice. This girl badly needs some vocal technical training to help her avoid a repeat of this problem.
As far as steroid injections, I got one when I lost my voice about ten years ago. They gave me the shot in my arm. I was diagnosed with a callus on one of my vocal chords. The ENT doctor told me to rest, rest, rest my voice. I didn’t realize that they could do the injections into the muscles of the throat. I read online that they numbed her throat. Who knows what they did. It was painfully obvious that she was having serious vocal problems.
I think her last song was such a cliched mess, and having her go into the audience to hug her mother mid-song was totally absurd. What about Scotty going into the audience to hug his parents? I am sorry, but it was truly insulting. It was hokey and beyond manipulative.
The judges were phony stooges right to the end. They read their prepared talking points well and lied right through their teeth. How on earth could anyone think it was great to hear a young girl straining her voice and that raw singing? I can’t even critique her performances because of the vocal issue.
Scotty kept his poise throughout all the gratuitous congratulatory praise for Lauren at the end. I don’t know how he did it. If you know that someone is really that good, you don’t have to push that hard to get America to believe it. Lauren was too young and not ready for the rigors of this competition.
I thought Scotty didn’t get anywhere near the credit he deserved for his performances tonight. I don’t like to analyze too much, but I was wondering if he was tired or something was off with him. It’s hard to tell because he keeps it together well and never loses his composure. He might simply have been tired.
Now I have to go back and continue voting for my Scotty!
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*article [Typo-free most of this season, but typo-ridden today. Not my day, hehe? :p]
***
Brittney,
Thanks for writing! I found your comment very fair and even-handed, and not scattered or disorganized at all!
You are definitely not alone in this sentiment: [quote] “I also don’t like people telling me who to vote for.”
Your comments remind me of this article:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-04-12/american-idol-implosion-why-simon-cowell-is-missed/
Quote: “Once audiences feel like they are being manipulated or hyped, that trust lost can be hard to regain, and in that respect, Idol seems to be treading on dangerous ground right now.”
I wonder if Idol is reaching the end of its rope here. Lots to think about. If people do not have faith in the format, what do we have?
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Interesting reading from the coaches here.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/24/lauren-alaina-american-idol-vocal-scare/
It appears that this is (if not common) not that unusual for the AI machine. The differnce here is the level for the pimping.
The shame here is a 16 year old using drugs – if it is a one time only, then fine – but will she use this as a replacement in the future to sorting out her technique.
Manipulation of these shows is common – but it becomes really annoying when it is so blatant. In his own show (X-factor) Simon Cowell went from being the voice of reason in the early years to blatant manipulator in the last few. However the last season was fantastic because he was left trying to manipulate the bottom 3 to keep his & Cheryl’s favourite’s in (column inches in the newspaper), as the guy who won was so far ahead Simon couldn’t do anything to stop him.
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Hey, Gene! You’re a popular guy around here! :o)
Darlene, I hope you have a nice birthday celebration! I lost a long post on another thread, so I will copy this one before I submit it. I wonder why that happens? Also, I miss HTML over here.
I am with Vonnie all the way, too! Although I don’t think the singer order made any difference what’s so ever.
I wouldn’t put it pass TPTB to say or do anything for ratings. I would imagine there were many Idol finalists who ended up with vocal strain or worse by this time each year. I am not sure why the doctor was needed on stage, though.
Darlene, I agree 100%, “I just keep thinking about how young she is & how a few more years & some good voice lessons could have done so much for her.”
Anita, I agree Scotty handled the situation quite well. They do seem like friends and have spent a lot of time together – especially with school added to their schedule. I imagine they were a support system for each other even though a parent was with them throughout the whole journey.
Mindy, I think by the time they get to the TOP 3, the contestants are really fighting fatigue. I remember several saying that the one thing they really wanted and needed was rest. This is not the same Idol we had in Seasons 1-4. In recent years the demands have been unbelievable. Guest apperances and promotion take up a lot of their time and energy.
I mentioned on the other thread that I was disappointed because there was no special “moment” for either Scotty or Lauren. I could hear the strain in Lauren’s voice. Scott did a nice job but didn’t take any risks. I do think he’ll probably win.
I am looking forward to seeing the performances tonight, and hope all the past winners will get to sing. Lee should have a solo as he is the current winner.
Take care and enjoy the show!
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Brittney,
Glad to have you here! You hit on the reason that we love this site so much. It truly is a safe place where we all get to express our thoughts and have our say, with no fear of being personally attacked. We have our disagreements but always with respect.
I think you have a very accurate assessment of the finale. Your thoughts seemed quite organized and well reasoned. It’s always great to have a new voice providing insight and commentary!
Again welcome!
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Hi Brittney!!! Welcome! 🙂
Mindy,
According to dial-idol our boy is going to be the Confetti Bath recipient! 🙂
I really do feel bad for Lauren in the sense that she seemed to be an innocent participate in TPTB and the judges fiasco last night! Could they have fed her anymore over-the-top, in-your-face pimping? That’s too bad, because I think if they had let it alone and let these two kids compete “fairly”, Lauren would have done much better on her own!
Poor Scotty, he seen the buses headed right for him, but kept his composure and carried on!
This is just my opinion; but, what a farce! The judges should be so ashamed of themselves…all three of them looked like idiots (sorry, first word that popped into my mind, I’m sure there is a better word to describe them) last night! Reading notes and rambling…! Declaring a winner from an obviously one sided view!
Vonnie shakes head at the saddness of it all!!!
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Well, they obviously took the time to gas up that bus, didn’t they? This season has been a holy show and there’s nothing
“Holy” about it!! They didn’t need to declare a winner last night, period!!
But, the judges aren’t about being kosher are they?
I’ve noticed throughout the seasons, that A.I. feeds off drama! I’m certainly happy for Lauren that she could still go ahead and sing last night, and she made the best of it. That must have been scary for her! Was it really necessary for the doctor to come out on stage and explain the whole situation, though? No.
I pressed Redial numerous time last night for Scotty, so we’ll find out soon enough. I would love to see him win!
It was wonderful to see David Archuleta in the audience. He put a new video blog up yesterday, and mentioned he met Scotty at the airport, but didn’t get a chance to meet Lauren yet. He said nothing about Nashville, but he’ll let us know when he’s good and ready. Until then, I’ll have to be patient. David’s got a concert at Myrtle Beach this Saturday, and he’s heading for Asia in July!! I’m so relieved he’s got a band put together, and is performing again!
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Thanks for the analysis on Lauren and her situation. That’s what I was getting at when I asked “couldn’t it ruin her voice forever?” If she to used to procedures like this, what could happen? Sure, it “worked” tonight, but what is going to happen later. She needs to rest her voice.
Reminds me of numbing up a professional athlete and then having them go play a game. Not advised, but done nonetheless. The only difference is the athlete usually has a couple of days after to rest…does Lauren get this?
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Here’s a link to an article written by someone who was there last night . . .
http://www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1115353.art&page=2
He’s predicting a Lauren win, and unfortunately I think he’s most likely correct. I hope I’m wrong, wrong, wrong!
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Lou…ise!!!
I’m gonna stop reading your links…bummer!!! ;-(
You should put a disclaimer on them…Not for the faint of heart!!! 🙂
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Hello everyone. Thanks for all the birthday wishes. J, thanks SO much for the link to the review of steroid use. There are definitely mixed opinions on the use of steroids. I will spend some time with the link later this afternoon. I do not think that I had previously shared that I’m a physician. It’s my “day job” 🙂 & it allows me to pay for both my voice lessons (which are really quite reasonable) & dog food (I am currently sharing my life with 5 dogs).
Brittney, your comments were absolutely valid, not scattered, and spot on.
I guess the bottom line is that Scotty is going to be around for a long time. He’s a keeper & I will definitely be buying his CD’s. So it doesn’t really matter if he’s 1st or 2nd in terms of his future career & success. I do think that all the shenanigans from yesterday are going to have an effect on Idol’s already severely strained credibility. In one of the lost posts from yesterday, I said that I am really not sure I can invest any more energy in this show. I voted right up until 1AM. And how do I know that my votes really counted? How do I know that TPTB aren’t manipulating the whole thing? It’s a conundrum for sure :). I appreciate your comments, J, about avoiding the negativity.
OK, work is calling my name. More later. Thanks, everyone.
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Sorry, Vonnie. I didn’t want to wallow in my sadness alone!!! 😦
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Vonnie . . . this link will cheer you up!
http://www.webpronews.com/scotty-mccreery-wins-american-idol-says-drudge-2011-05
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Louise…Chin up sweety, it ain’t over till the confetti falls!!!
Dial-idol has been right every year since the fourth season, so I’m holding out hope that this will not be the year it fails. They have Scotty way ahead!
Either way it goes tonight, that kid is a class act!
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Vonnie…I just wondered over to Dial-idol too. I’m hoping it’s right! 🙂
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That’s what I’m talkin’ about Louise…now that link cheered me up!
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bizzee247,
I too am hoping that dial-idol is right and I hope the judges are made aware of the huge gap in between votes.
What they did last night to Scotty and Lauren was un-called for!
Those two seem to have it all worked out though…the looks they kept giving each other and when Lauren put her head on his shoulder; too cute! Sad thing is, that poor girl could say nothing, she wants to win too! She did seem uncomfortable with the Lauren love last night!
Stephen tyler…you’re really starting to creep me out!!!
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Thank you for the welcome wishes, everyone! And making my fear of my post being scattered false! I’m a creative writing major, so I suppose I’m much harder on myself than others.
Mindy, I totally agree. I’ve always read the comments, and everyone seemed so level-headed, passionate and open-minded to other opinions. Makes me happy that I plan on commenting more on here, rather than other blogs!
And Dial Idol has predicted every winner correctly since season 4, so it made me really excited to see Scotty in that green! Though, if Lauren wins, I won’t be mad/surprised. Even if she’s young and is fragile, I think she can handle 1st or 2nd wonderfully. However, she might be better off in 2nd — there is less pressure, less songs on tour and less stress. We’ll see, though!
Like I said in my post before, I just can’t imagine the pressure on these two! I just turned 18 myself this past November, and I couldn’t imagined being scrutinized by the public eye like they have been one or two years ago or even now. They are both really good, and with the right song, team and training, they have the potential to be FANTASTIC recording artists (always been a dream of mine, but I’m no where near good enough, :P). They have strength, I just hope the people that are caring for them don’t try and micromanage/take total creative control away from them. Only time will tell, I guess!
One last thing, speaking of them recording, has anyone heard Lauren’s studio version of “If I Die Young”? It’s beautiful! And Scotty’s voice on “Gone” is spectacular as well. And this is coming from a girl who doesn’t like country music. 😉 Haha! I hope they do well on the country stations!
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Brittney…so glad you are going to stay on with us!
This is the greatest of all blogs! 🙂 Ain’t that right, MCL???
Scotty has me changing my radio station too!
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I’m so proud of both Lauren and Scotty. They have both done a great job this season!
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You betcha Vonnie. And a special welcome to Brittney. Glad to have you with us. Hope to see you here often. 🙂
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Brittney,
Welcome to this awesome site!! As a matter of fact, I’ve heard “If I Die Young”, and you’re right, it’s wonderful!
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Happy Birthday, Darlene!!
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Happy birthday Darlene!!! 🙂
So how many are going to stay on after idol and keep up the chatter with the show “The Voice”?
Me, I’m in! 🙂
I once heard that it is okay to talk to one’s self and it is okay to answer one’s self…it’s just not okay to say “What’d ya say!!
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Thanks for the new birthday wishes, Anita & Vonnie. I missed your newer posts while I was composing my answer to “War & Peace”. And yes, Vonnie, talking to yourself AND answer yourself is just fine in my book.
How much longer is “The Voice” going to be on?
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Happy Birthday Dr. Darlene.
And thank you for sharing your expertise re steroid treatment for the voice. As you said, it should be used sparingly and not as a substitute for healthy singing.
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Darlene,
Thru June I think…MCL would have a better idea than me!
Also, America’s Got Talent starts sometime soon!
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America’s Got Talent starts next Tuesday, May 31st. And yes Vonnie, The Voice is on through the month of June.
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Did anyone notice that one of Darlene’s comments just disappeared? That is so odd! She had two comments back-to-back, and one of them is still here (the one four comments above mine), but there was another one before that.
I have the post in my news feed if anyone wants me to simply duplicate it here, but Rosanne, you saw it as well; do you know how that might have happened?
I love WordPress, but the comments go haywire from time to time!
*
P.S. Happy birthday, Darlene! 😀
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Louise,
I read that article you posted. This guy sounds quite biased in my opinion. I question his reasoning and logic. It is true that this sappy, schmaltzy song they gave Lauren to sing may win people over. However there is also the possibility that it could turn people off, because it was overkill. Scotty didn’t get to go into the audience to hug his mother, did he?
This person isn’t taking into account the wretched pimping from the judges. Does America want these three people deciding who is their next American Idol?
I will say that Scotty was done no favors by the choice of that George Strait song and his original song. As good as Scotty is, even he had trouble getting any momentum from these two songs. You can only do so much with what you are given. He deserved far better than what he got. I thought they would pull something like this. What bothers me is that Scotty is now stuck with that original song as his first single.
The more I thought about the finale last night, the more I felt that Scotty was somehow subdued and serious. I didn’t see his infectious smile and feel his joy. It could be fatigue or maybe he was not that thrilled with his songs. The judges certainly didn’t help by all but crowning Lauren at the end. Scotty hides his emotions and would never go for pity and sympathy votes. He is very composed, but he did not look happy.
He didn’t hurt his vocal chord, but there was something going on with him last night. I wanted to reach into the tv and just give him a great big hug. If he loses, so be it. They did everything they could to get Lauren through for the win. We suspected that this was their game plan for aome time now. We will find out tonight if it worked.
Darlene,
Happy Birthday, youngster! 🙂
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I wish I could address many of these posts personally.
This is what I wrote on the TV|Line board: “I hate voting. I rarely do. Except for Haley, David Cook, and Crystal. However, the shameless public massaging (put in non-family friendly verb of choice that also begins with m)of Lauren (no offense to her) by the producers made me gag like I was (uh … never mind) was so blatantly pukey that I made my 10 year old son vote for Scotty for an hour. I’ve loved Scotty, despite the eyebrows, but certainly not more than Haley. Maybe it’s because I love baseball too … I hope he covers Glory Days when he gets older …
In fact, I’d like to see the kid finish his high school career and play some D1 college ball!!!!”
As the mother of preemie who was intubated for months, and then trached for 3 years, I have an intimate knowledge of my son’s ENT apparati and treatments. I can’t imagine they would’ve given Lauren a direct steroid injection to the vocal chords because they would’ve had to anesthetize her. I know athletes will get joint injections day of games or even at half time, but I actually can’t believe they could do interarticular (in the bursa sac itself) without endoscopic equipment. Everytime the doctors tried to extubate Malcolm they’d give him IV cortisteriods to reduce the inflammation in the trachea from being intubated. In addition, he’d get Lasix (a diuretic) to reduce the edema swelling. My guess is the doctor did something like that. Fastest in, quickest effect.
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Happy Birthday, Darlene! Hope you’ve had a great day!
Here’s hoping the show tonight is entertaining.
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Well, gaw-dang it, my War & Peace entry is gone. And I didn’t copy it after it was officially posted. Not a big deal. Maybe it will come back. Bottom line was that I looked at the link that J provided (& printed out the article) about steroid injections directly into the vocal cords. I appreciate Jessica’s information that it’s unlikely because it would probably have required general anesthesia. But one link that I looked at yesterday did say that she got an injection into her cords. I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure.
The other part of that post was my own experience with steroid treatment for an acute onset, infectious laryngitis that I got back in 2003 when I desperately wanted to be a diva & sing a 1-verse solo with the choral group that I was in at the time. The steroids worked & I was able to sing the verse. But it’s the only time I’ve used steroids. I don’t think in general they’re a good idea and for me in particular they’re really not a good idea because they make me just a little crazy (I stop sleeping & I talk too much).
I laughed reading your story of making your son vote for Scotty, Jessica. Good for you!! Is it the same son who was the preemie (Malcolm)? If so, sounds like he’s doing OK.
Well, only a few hours until we find out if the shameless pimping paid off for TPTB.
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One of the reasons I hope Scotty wins tonight is I don’t want to see broken hearts on this site. I want to see everyone excited, relieved, and happy!! I’m not as big a fan of Scotty as the rest of you, but I think he deserves to win.
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And thanks for the birthday wishes, Louise!!
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Which post was that J? WordPress can have issues from time to time but I hope we didn’t permanently lose it. Could you copy and paste it J and I will check my spam folder in the meantime. Thank you so much.
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Also, thanks for the birthday wishes, J. I’m glad to hear that the post still exists somewhere :).
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Darlene- I found of couple of your older posts in the spam folder. There is a message on my admin page re the Akismet Spam folder malfunctioning. Will have to contact WordPress so they can get to the bottom of this.
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Here is Darlene’s War & Peace entry, everyone! 😀 Google Reader to the rescue!
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Comment on Lauren May Drop Out Of American Idol by Darlene
Good afternoon, my music-appreciating friends. Brittney, you’re only 18! It’s good to have someone here with a younger viewpoint. I’m not an “old fogey” yet but I’m not a spring chicken either. So welcome again & please keep posting! I agree that both Scotty & Lauren have enormous potential. I’ve only got one Scotty studio version so I’ll have to add “Gone” to what I have. I will also check out “If I Die Young”.
Now, I am in the process of reviewing the various links. First, I read the ew.com link provided by Barbara about Lauren’s “coach” Michael (??) Orland & his advice to her before & during the dress rehearsal. The thing that seemed curious to me was his comments on what the doctor did for Lauren e.g. “he gave her something to numb her throat”. I find it a little bit scary that someone who has so much control over how Lauren approached the performance knows so little about voice physiology & treatment. But maybe that’s just “par for the course” in the world of popular music.
On that note, I looked at (& actually just printed out) the wonderful link from J regarding the use of injections of steroids directly into the vocal cords which is what was done to Lauren in at least one of the reports that I read. My reading of this article is that this type of injection is indicated for serious chronic conditions that can affect the cords, not to treat someone whose hoarseness has been brought on by overuse and suboptimal mechanics. What I think is missing from this reference is a complete discussion of the risks of the procedure. The only statement in the article I can find regarding the risks is “the main adverse effect of this treatment mode is muscle and gland atrophy” which seems kind of vague to me (atrophy is medicalspeak for wasting).
Of course, we don’t know, and may never know, if direct injection of the cords was what was actually done to Lauren. If so, was it done by a fully-qualified ENT (ears nose throat) specialist? I would hope so; surely TPTB can afford to have an ENT doc with vocal cord expertise on call. Even allowing that the procedure was done by someone who knew what they were doing, I would think there is still some risk that this procedure would cause a vocal cord hemorrhage that would not only have removed all chance that Lauren could sing last night but also might have compromised her performance on the Tour. I agree with what J said about the resilience of someone’s voice, especially a younger person like Lauren. But still this procedure seems extreme to me. Oral & intramuscular steroids have other risks but direct injury to the cords or adjacent structures with an injection is not one of them. Of course, even an intramuscular injection and definitely oral steroids would have taken more time to work, probably at least 24 hours, so the direct injection of the cords may have seemed like the only option left. But I just don’t like it for someone like Lauren.
For the record, I have used steroids once in my life for vocal issues. It was in 2003. I had a small but important solo that I desperately wanted to sing with the vocal group that I belonged to (Vox Aeterna – the group ended in 2005 when the 2nd child of our very talented director was born & he needed more time to be a father). 48 hours before the concert I completely lost my voice. Miraculously, I was able to get in to see an ENT at Medical University of South Carolina. She looked at my cords and they were a mess; it was an acute infection. But she was willing to prescribe a steroid, Decadron (dexamethasone), for me, along with an antibiotic (which for the record is not the greatest combination as steroids can impair the body’s ability to fight infection). But it worked, mainly because I had a full 36 hours between initial dose of Decadron & having to sing. I wanted to share my own experience. I don’t think there will be a repeat of this because a) steroids, in my opinion, are a very short-term fix for a problem usually brought on by more long-term issues that should themselves be treated and b) steroids make me a little crazy – I stop sleeping & I talk too much. 🙂 .
Finally, to Grammie Karl: thanks so much for the birthday wishes. I’m going to stay home all day & spend quality time with my doggies. And observe voice rest so I can recover from my own laryngitis which I got from a viral infection back before Easter.
I think I’ve started to ramble a bit so I’m going to stop now. Thanks again, everyone.
https://masterclasslady.com/2011/05/24/lauren-may-drop-out-of-american-idol/#comment-32607 — original link, but since the post no longer appears on the page, it only takes us to this topic in general
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Thanks so much, MCL & J. I’m feeling very loved. Well, I’m off to choir practice. My plan is to sit & listen & hopefully be able to sing a few decent notes on Sunday. But I think when I get out around 9 the show will still be going on. Should be most interesting.
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Thank you so much for retrieving this J. 🙂
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Darlene,
Happy Birthday!
Just for you.
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Gene, thank you for the completely fabulous birthday greeting – I absolutely love it. I can’t imagine a better tribute on my birthday than one from the Beatles. *SMILE*
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I am pleased that you enjoyed it Darlene.
I audition about twenty acts before deciding to hire the “Lads from Liverpool “for the gig. They seldom disappoint. You came dangerously close to getting BB King to play at your Birthday party, but I decided the Blues wouldn’t be the best choice for the occasion.
I also considered “Just Can’t Drive 55” in honor of you leaving the double nickel in the rear view mirror. Feel free to exchange it if you would like to.
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