So much that I boycotted the musical when it opened off-Broadway .  The original stars weren’t in it — how could the musical compare?

My heart was closed.

Then the show moved to Broadway, and the TV commercials began.  Yes, ‘guy’ and ‘girl’ were different, but their voices, the harmonies were as beautiful as the movie that inspired them.  So I decided to give the show a shot.

Last night I was in the audience for Once on Broadway. I loved the staging, a working Irish bar — they even served drinks during intermission — that was transformed throughout the evening by creative lighting.  Every actor also played an instrument, so there was no orchestra pit.

Most importantly, every voice, every note was perfection.  There were a lot of tears in the audience.  (People were talking about it as they left the theatre, so it wasn’t just me.)

The only thud in the production — which occurred at the start of the play and made me sad — was the playwright’s need to ‘funny up’ the script, making the characters extreme stereotypes of themselves.  This was especially true of ‘girl,’ who was a quirky, jokey one-liner, which was counter to her gentle spirit in the movie.

But once she and ‘guy’ began to sing, she softened and the music drove the show, as it did the movie.

And all was forgiven.

It might be now.  But not just for me.

Adam WarRock, the Internet’s ‘foremost comic book rapper,’ has gone gaga for Downton Abbey, too.

A rapper….all wrapped up in the soap opera at Grantham Hall.  He even posted a confession on his website:

Downton Abbey is the kind of thing that you hear about, and you’re all like, “That sounds terrible.” And then even one of your best friends won’t shut up about it, and then you have to fly to Seattle, and you watch it on the plane, and get completely obsessed with it. And then you’re calling your friend and saying things like “I’m at the part where Matthew Crawley is investigating the entail for Lord Grantham, and the Dowager Countess finds out about it,” and you realize you’re whispering because honestly, what the HELL are you even saying?

I love this guy.

Now he’s gone one step farther and written a rap about Downton Abbey. You gotta give it a listen.

Can’t see any problem with that!

And I couldn’t be happier.

I have always loved “Blister in the Sun.”  It’s an anthem of sorts for me…and my bear Snuffles’ favorite dance number.  And now the theme song for HP, which just happens to be my laptop.

What are the chances?

Here are the Femmes performing the song live.  I was lucky enough to see them myself back in the day.

Let me go on.

I confess, I’ve never given it much thought.

Until now.

In a current TV ad campaign, a teenage boy asks Siri to remember the band name “Migraine Headache.”

And the terminally-quick Craig Ferguson will label any funny-sounding phrase he utters as the name of his band or the movie he’s writing.

And now I find myself doing the same.

Funny headline on nytimes.com?  Could be a band name.  Someone posts a photo on Twitter or Facebook with an odd title?  Band name.  Someone misspeaks in everyday conversation?  Band name!

My favorite from last night’s Twitter feed?

Mid-Winter Popsicle

Don’t steal that one.  It’s mine.

I’m looking at world through frog’s eyes
Looking at the world through frog’s eyes
Looking at the world through frog’s eyes
And you can just hop off!

My apologies to Heywood Banks.  And you can buy the frog hats, too.

(You know you want ‘em.)

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.