chemyst's blog: "Jennifer Holiday, Diva!"

I'm staying in Uppsala, Sweden, home of the largest and oldest university in Sweden. It's a short train ride from Stockholm so it makes a good base for exploration of this part of the country. Today I got a behind the scenes tour of the Nobel Prize museum and all the information I will need when I win one! NOT. Last week we spent several days in Copenhagen and then returned to Sweden. On Wednesday, I take a ship to Helsinki, Finland and then a couple of days later return to Stockholm, Philadelphia and home. Can't get used to the light here. It's 11:00 PM and still light. Miss you guys (and gals) and I'll be talking to you soon! J

Arrived in Sweden just in time to celebrate Midsumer´s Night. Much fun, food, and drink for all! At midnight the sky was still noticeably light in the west and soon (12:30) it was daylight again as the celebration went on. Now the days get shorter, but I will go north so the effect may not be apparent. Having a great time and hope you are all well and happy. Thanks for all the messages and good wishes, even if I am unable to answer you directly. I will make up for it when I return. Cherry love, J

After a wonderful few days in the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria, we went to the Cinque Terre, where we walked the trail connecting the 5 villages on the Italian Riviera. Great! and lots of pictures too. Now we are in Lubeck in northern Germany and soon will head to Denmark and Sweden. Here I give my full attention to Marzipan. I will check in again as I can. Cherry love to all! John

Hello from Rome! Arrived and immediately sought out gelato. George Bush arrived and completely clogged the city. Thousands of police and military guarding buildings and blocking traffic. I got trapped in St. Peter's because he was visiting the Pope. Later, the demonstrations turned ugly as thousands of young protesters filled the streets and piazzas and a few threw bottles at the police. I got some good pics of the demonstrations and the tear gas that followed. Tomorrow off to Orvieto and the hill country. Chemyst

OK, I know this isn't the most earth-shaking topic for a first blog, but I'll make more later. I'm just weary of all the attention given to American Idol and the vocal lightweights that inhabit that world. (Except, of course, for Sanjaya, whose vocal prowess, not to mention his sister's breasts, is truly jaw dropping.) I will make the disclaimer that I've never expended the effort required to watch an entire American Idol episode, which will invalidate my opinion among the faithful I'm sure. However, in light of the attention lavished on Idol loser Jennifer Hudson recently, let me offer a glimpse of a real diva, Jennifer Holiday, who originated the "Dreamgirls" role on Broadway and who blows Hudson out of the water both vocally and theatrically. My readers who were not born in 1982, may never have heard Ms Holiday's incredible performance and so I offer it here. I was privileged to see her on Broadway and I can tell you that the term "show stopper" definitely applies. Rarely has a performer so commanded the stage and so affected entire audiences night after night. So if you loved her performance then, or especially if you have never seen it, here is a compressed, bare-staged fragment from the Tony Awards show which will give you an idea of the power of the 21-year-old Jennifer Holiday. (And if your attention span doesn't extend 8:47, fast forward to just before the 5:00 mark for the big song.)