And I didn’t even win the Powerball.

No, I’m watching That Thing You Do on Encore.  And I defy anyone to be in a bad mood when that movie is on.

I’ve watched the film before…at least seven or eight times, I would guess.  But every time I do, I am struck by the positive energy and sheer happiness radiating from every frame.  I’m sure if they filmed me watching the movie, I would be grinning from ear to ear (when I’m not moved to tears).

I’m also amazed at how many times they play the title song “That Thing You Do,” and how it never seems to get old.  It’s like the engine driving the film, and every time they play it, the movie gets another burst of life and energy.

There it goes again!  Gotta dance.

But Interview — did you have to be so literal??

A big ol’ scary insect on Lana Del Rey’s face wasn’t necessary to make the point.  We can clearly see the singer is blessed with full lips.

Plus, do you think I want that magazine sitting on my coffee table? I think not.

You’re creeping us out, guys.

Stop it.

You grace our homes with twinkle lights,  Then hug the curb — that’s just not right.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Plus, my dog pees on you.

A lot.

A cup of kindness that we share with another
A sweet reunion with a friend or a brother
In all the places you find love
It feels like Christmas

It is…the season of the heart
A special time of caring
The ways of love made clear
It is…the season of the spirit
The message if we hear it
Is make it last all year

It’s in the giving of a gift to another
A pair of mittens that were made by your mother
It’s all the ways that we show love
That feel like Christmas

A part of childhood we’ll always remember
It is the summer of the soul in December
Yes, when you do your best for love
It feels like Christmas

It’s true, wherever you find love
It feels like Christmas.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

–”It Feels Like Christmas” from The Muppet Christmas Carol
by Paul Williams

A really big sound.

Conan has added, on a trial basis, a timpani drum.  He used it to introduce both himself and his guests.

It was seriously cool.

Don’t remember what a timpani drum sounds like?  Take a listen.

Isn’t that awesome?  Wouldn’t everything — and everybody — sound more important and more exciting if they were introduced with a timpani drum?

Yes.  Yes, they would.

Which got me thinking — my blog posts should be even better if they were preceded by the sound of a timpani drum…right?

I’ll get to work on that.

Could it be all the goodwill surrounding Beyonce’s pregnancy?

The headline of this year’s MTV Video Music Awards was the announcement of the impending arrival of the superstar coupling of Beyonce and Jay-Z.  Her red carpet gown and the teeny tiny tuxedo she later wore on stage were both tailored to put her baby bump on full display.

Cue the oohs and ahhs.

But photos taken only one week prior to the event reveal a very different mother-to-be, her flat stomach barely showing at all…as you might expect from someone who’s only two months along.

So why would Beyonce fake it?

Some say she wanted to announce the pregnancy at the awards show, and a cute, rounded bump garners more attention than no tummy at all.  Poor baby — it isn’t even born yet, and Beyonce is already using implants to make it appear more ‘perfect.’

Did she forget the paparazzi follows her and photographs her 24/7?  Someone was bound to notice her stomach’s way-too-sudden eruption.

Perhaps I bought into her PR machine, but I thought Beyonce was more genuine than that.

Guess I expected better.

• 1969: The Woodstock Music Festival opens.
• 1965: The Beatles play Shea Stadium.
• 1935: Will Rogers and Wiley Post die when their plane crashes after take-off in Barrow, Alaska.

Now, you might not put Will Rogers in the same music sphere as the Beatles, but for a Broadway fan, The Will Rogers Follies — winner of the 1991 Tony Award for Best Musical — is a pretty big deal.

Prior to that show, Will Rogers was just a name in the history books to me.  Once a year or so in movie theatres, I did see cans passed to raise money for the Will Rogers Institute, which funds medical research in asthma, tuberculosis and pulmonary diseases….but that was the extent of my knowledge.

Keith Carradine’s portrayal brought Rogers to life — his years in vaudeville and radio, his common sense approach to life, his wife, his politics and witticisms, and his love and support for the then fledgling aviation industry.

I used to listen to the musical’s soundtrack in my car driving back and forth to work…back when I had a car and actually worked in an office.  It has amazing energy and lyrics — perfect ‘pick-me-up’ music.

Who needs a car?  I’m gonna listen to Will today.

It is August 15th.

Cameron left The Glee Project last night.  Voluntarily.

Even after Ryan Murphy, the show’s creator, met with him one-on-one and asked him to stay.  Told him he could go all the way and win the competition.  That they really wanted to write a role for him on Glee.

Cameron? He just wanted to go home.

I am so bummed.

But if reality shows have taught me anything, it’s that I shouldn’t believe what I am seeing.

While I do think Cameron’s reasons for leaving the show are sincere — especially his clash with directors regarding acting choices he refused to make — I have to wonder if he was later convinced to use his dilemma to add drama to the competition.

A change of heart and surprise reappearance at the eleventh hour would make great reality show fodder.  And Cameron on Glee?

Heck, I cast him weeks ago.

Not the character in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables — the Jean Valjean that I have most often seen on stage, actor Colm Wilkinson.

He turns 67 today.

Colm originated the role of Jean Valjean in London’s West End and again on Broadway.

When the show transferred to New York City in 1987, Actors’ Equity wouldn’t allow Wilkinson to play the role because he wasn’t American.  So producer Cameron Mackintosh refused to open the show.

Luckily for all of us, Actors’ Equity quickly changed their minds.

Les Mis is one of the reasons I love Broadway today. I’ve seen the show an unprecedented 13 times, most recently a couple of years ago at an anniversary performance here in New York City.

The theatre was smaller, and the show scaled down from its original glory.  But the story was just as moving, the music still thrilled.  And as I sang each word, albeit under my breath…

I could hear Colm Wilkinson singing.

God on high
Hear my prayer
In my need
You have always been there

He is young
He’s afraid
Let him rest
Heaven blessed.
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home.

If I’m waiting for my flight home, you’ll most often find me — depending on my departure terminal — in Chili’s or Friday’s or near the closest electrical outlet.

Today my sister Lou and I killed a couple of hours in the Cowtown Bar in Terminal A.  And I’m pretty sure…

It’s a portal back in time.

It started with the waiter, Adam.  He was a very nice, attentive guy, don’t get me wrong.  But Adam was sporting a hairdo circa The Wedding Singer.

Let’s just say, it caught the eye.

The music mix also took us back.  “Last Kiss” started playing — “Last Kiss!”  I remember a group called Wednesday made a version of that song popular in 1974.  It has literally been a decade since I’ve heard that song.

This was followed by other hits from long ago.  I felt like I had fallen into a time warp.

Then a couple came into the restaurant with their three-year old daughter.  She was the spitting image of actress Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, No Reservations, Nim’s Island).  I decided it was her.

Which convinced me — we had traveled back in time.

Tragically, I didn’t look any younger.