Today I met two of the Celtic Women of the Irish singing musical phenomenon CELTIC WOMAN in the flesh–the blonde frisky one with the fiddle–Mairaed Nesbitt, and she of the angelic voice and newest member of the group, Alex Sparke! They were divine. I interviewed them at WGBH  for PBS. They’ve got a new CD out and will be in Boston in March at the Wang!

 For more info: https://www.celticwoman.com/trellis/US-New-map
I also screened the new Sandra Bullock movie THE BLIND SIDE about a rich southern white Christian Evangelical woman who takes in a homeless, uneducated black teenager who eventually becomes a star football player. It’s based on the true story of NFL player Michael Oher and it’s about as “feel-good” a movie as I’ve ever seen. It had me the minute Sandy invited “Big Mike” in out of the cold and into the warm family sedan. OK. It’s not art, and the film glosses over the emotional complexity of the situation, as though a 250 pound 6’6″ black teen moving into a lily white neighborhood was as simple as checking into a hotel. If the cast weren’t so appealing–Quinton Aaron as the sweet oversized teenager, Tim McGraw as the ever- smiling husband, Kathy Bates as a perky private tutor, and Ms. Bullock as the tough as nails pistol-packin’ surrogate mama– and if it weren’t TRUE–the film might have stretched credulity to the breaking point. I wish it had gone darker, deeper, truer– but it’s satisfying nonetheless and I even shed a tear. So there.
And finally… Adam Lambert’s provocative performance at the American Music Awards. Everyone complained about the raunch, but no one mentioned just how bad that song was, or that he sang most of it off-key. I happen to be an Adam Lambert fan and could care less about who he’s diddling onstage. What I can’t overlook is how badly he performed. Why scream– when he’s one of the few who can actually sing?
Goodnight–
and stay tuned!