Zorba, ~ The Greek...

The Movie, ~ "Gangs Of New York,"...

...Leo Di Caprio and Claire Danes, looking their best, Daniel Day-Lewis, his greasey, and most villianous, in a beautiful, exciting. romantic and violent Victorian action drama, I LOVED it!!!...

"To Sir, With Love"...

"Kasmir"...

"As Time Goes By," ~ From "Casablanca"...

The Birds Have Not Forgotten This...

In "Doctor Zhivago," ~ Viktor Ippolitovich Kormarovsky: The Villain...

Viktor Komarovsky is a cruel and selfish, unscrupulous businessman who played both sides of the Russian Revolution by having friends in the Bolshevik Party and in the Imperialists. He is implied to be a constant womanizer as he seduces Amelia, a Russianized Frenchwoman, a widow, who works as a seamtress, the mother of Lara. Though portrayed as a powerful man, he, according to a rare 1958 interview with author Boris Pasternak, is the owner of a “small member”. Later, he eyes up the stunning seventeen year old Larissa, or Lara, herself despite the fact that Lara is engaged to a young revolutionist named Pasha Antipov. She is then seduced by Komarovsky and continues to see him in secret (Amelia finds out and attempts to commit suicide by drinking iodine, but is saved by Professor-Doctor Boris Kurt and his protege Yuri Zhivago). When Lara decided to end the relationship once and for all, after Pasha Antipov declared his marriage for Lara, Komarovsky tries to reason with Lara that marrying Pasha would be a huge mistake. In this, he is right for stern and politically obsessive Pasha will never understand or appreciate the passionately romantic and tender Lara. Lara ignores Komarovsky, so Komarovsky brutally rapes her and in retaliation Lara tracks him down to a Christmas Eve party and attempts to kill him with a revolver Pasha gave her. But, she only wounds his arm before she is escorted out of the building by Pasha as Yuri Zhivago, tends to his wound and Komarovsky callously offers Lara to Zhivago, when he decides he's finished with her. After Yuri's family is deported to Paris and Pasha, under the alias of the much feared Bolshevik commander Strelnikov, is fighting in the Russian Revolution, Lara and Yuri rekindle their on-off relationship (which started as they worked together on the frontlines of WW1). During which Komarovsky (now a Bolshevik) informs them that thanks to Strelnikov being considered a liabitity to the Bolshevik cause they are being watched by the Cheka (Soviet secret police) due to Lara's connection to Strelnikov via marriage and Yuri's personal and counter revolutionary poetry and desertion from Commmunist partisans. He offers the couple help in leaving Russia, but Lara and Yuri decline, instead choosing to hide in the abandoned Varykino estate along with Lara's daughter, Katya, where he writes the "Lara Poems". Sometime later, Komarovsky reappears with Bolshevik soldiers, telling Yuri that Strelnikov was captured by the Bolsheviks in route to returning to Lara and committed suicide when on the way to his execution, implying that Lara is in grave danger herself due to the Bolsheviks only sparing her to draw Strelnikov out of hiding.

Against his and Lara's will, Yuri sends Lara, and her daughter Katya, away with Komarovsky who had since been appointed a govenrment official in the nominally independant Far Eastern Republic, while Yuri himself accepts his fate to be by himself, as he refuses to accompany a man that he very strongly dislikes. (Yuri's passiveness is his main fault.) It is unknown what happens afterwards although it is implied that Lara gave birth to a girl Yevgraf believes is Yuri's daughter Tanya (Yevgrav narrates the story to an older Tanya as he's searching for Yuri and Lara's child) and that Lara, Viktor and Tanya got separated during one of Stalin's purges (Komarovsky let go of Tanya's hand amist the chaos of the Civil War when it broke out in the Far East). Lara tried to find her lost daughter with Yevgrav's help, but didn't succeed. (It's not mentioned with happened to Lara's other daughter Katya.) Later, Lara's put in a gulag and becomes one of the many, many lost persons of the Russian Revolution. It's assumed that she finally died, forgotten, in a labor camp. >>> Quotes: “Larissa, I want to talk to you. (Lara: Monsieur Komarovsky, have you...?) I beg you, drop this affectation of addressing me as "Monsieur Komarovsky." Under the circumstances, I find it rather ridiculous. Lara, I am determined to save you from a dreadful error. There are two kinds of men, and only two. That young man is one kind. He is high-minded. He is pure. He's the kind of man the world pretends to look up to, and in fact despises. He is the kind of man who breeds unhappiness, particularly in women. Do you understand (Lara: No.) I think you do. There's another kind. Not high-minded. Not pure. But alive. That your tastes should incline towards the juvenile is understandable. But for you to marry that boy would be a disaster. Because there's two kinds of women. (Lara puts her hands over her ears, Komarovsky snatches them off) There are two kinds of women. And you, as we well know, are not the first kind. (Lara slaps Komarovsky, he slaps her back even harder, having no qualms about hitting a woman.) You, my dear...are a slut. (Lara: I am not!) We'll see (Komarovsky violently rapes Lara. attempting to cheapen and degrade her. Some time later, Komarovsky starts to leave the room) And don't delude yourself this was rape. That would flatter us both. „ ~ Viktor Komarovsky explaining to Lara why Pasha isn't an ideal suitor for her. “ Pavel Pavlovich, my chief impression... and I mean no offense, is that you're very young. (Pasha: Monsieur, I hope I don't offend you. Do people improve with age?) They grow a little more tolerant. (Pasha: Because they have more to tolerate in themselves. If people don't marry young, what do they bring to their marriage?) A little experience. (Pasha: I'm 26. My mother died needlessly when I was 8. My father died in prison. I have fended for myself. I've worked my way through school and university. I am familiar with things that you can hardly guess at.) All this is an experience of a kind, certainly. (Pasha: I've no amorous experience, if that's what you mean. None whatever. Lara's 17. That speaks for itself. (Lara hangs her head in shame knowing that she isn't the virgin Pasha thinks she is.) (Pasha: You probably find this situation comic. We don't. We're going to be married next year. I hope I haven't offended you by speaking plainly.) Not at all. „ ~ Komarovsky questioning Pasha Antipov's experiences. (From "Wiki Fandom: Villains".)

Olga Invinskaya & Julie Christy...

Olga Invinskaya, on who Boris Pasternak based Doctor Zhivago's Lara, DID look like Olga. Of course, that was director David Lean's intention... Olga Ivinskaya >>>

Julie Christie >>>

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," ~ sung by Roberta Flack...

Boris Pasternak & Olga Ivinskaya...

In October 1946, the twice-married Pasternak met Olga Ivinskaya, a beautiful 34 year old single mother employed by Novy Mir. Deeply moved by her resemblance to his first love Ida Vysotskaya, Pasternak gave Ivinskaya several volumes of his poetry and literary translations. Although Pasternak never left his wife Zinaida, he started an extramarital relationship with Ivinskaya that would last for the remainder of Pasternak's life. Ivinskaya later recalled, "He phoned almost every day and, instinctively fearing to meet or talk with him, yet dying of happiness, I would stammer out that I was 'busy today.' But almost every afternoon, toward the end of working hours, he came in person to the office and often walked with me through the streets, boulevards, and squares all the way home to Potapov Street. 'Shall I make you a present of this square?' he would ask." She gave him the phone number of her neighbour Olga Volkova who resided below. In the evenings, Pasternak would phone and Volkova would signal by Olga banging on the water pipe which connected their apartments. When they first met, Pasternak was translating the verse of the Hungarian national poet, Sándor Petőfi. Pasternak gave his lover a book of Petőfi with the inscription, "Petőfi served as a code in May and June 1947, and my close translations of his lyrics are an expression, adapted to the requirements of the text, of my feelings and thoughts for you and about you. In memory of it all, B.P., 13 May 1948." Pasternak later noted on a photograph of himself: "Petőfi is magnificent with his descriptive lyrics and picture of nature, but you are better still. I worked on him a good deal in 1947 and 1948, when I first came to know you. Thank you for your help. I was translating both of you." Ivinskaya would later describe the Petőfi translations as "a first declaration of love". According to Ivinskaya, Zinaida Pasternak was infuriated by her husband's infidelity. Once, when his younger son Leonid fell seriously ill, Zinaida extracted a promise from her husband, as they stood by the boy's sickbed, that he would end his affair with Ivinskaya. Pasternak asked Luisa Popova, a mutual friend, to tell Ivinskaya about his promise. Popova told him that he must do it himself. Soon after, Ivinskaya happened to be ill at Popova's apartment, when suddenly Zinaida Pasternak arrived and confronted her. Ivinskaya later recalled, But I became so ill through loss of blood that she and Luisa had to get me to the hospital, and I no longer remember exactly what passed between me and this heavily built, strong-minded woman, who kept repeating how she didn't give a damn for our love and that, although she no longer loved [Boris Leonidovich] herself, she would not allow her family to be broken up. After my return from the hospital, Boris came to visit me, as though nothing had happened, and touchingly made his peace with my mother, telling her how much he loved me. By now she was pretty well used to these funny ways of his. In 1948, Pasternak advised Ivinskaya to resign her job at Novy Mir, which was becoming extremely difficult due to their relationship. In the aftermath, Pasternak began to instruct her in translating poetry. In time, they began to refer to her apartment on Potapov Street as, "Our Shop". On the evening of 6 October 1949, Ivinskaya was arrested at her apartment by the KGB. Ivinskaya relates in her memoirs that, when the agents burst into her apartment, she was at her typewriter working on translations of the Korean poet Won Tu-Son. Her apartment was ransacked and all items connected with Pasternak were piled up in her presence. Ivinskaya was taken to the Lubyanka Prison and repeatedly interrogated, where she refused to say anything incriminating about Pasternak. At the time, she was pregnant with Pasternak's child and had a miscarriage early in her ten-year sentence in the GULAG. Upon learning of his mistress' arrest, Pasternak telephoned Liuisa Popova and asked her to come at once to Gogol Boulevard. She found him sitting on a bench near the Palace of Soviets Metro Station. Weeping, Pasternak told her, "Everything is finished now. They've taken her away from me and I'll never see her again. It's like death, even worse." According to Ivinskaya, "After this, in conversation with people he scarcely knew, he always referred to Stalin as a 'murderer.' Talking with people in the offices of literary periodicals, he often asked: 'When will there be an end to this freedom for lackeys who happily walk over corpses to further their own interests?' He spent a good deal of time with Akhmatova—who in those years was given a very wide berth by most of the people who knew her. He worked intensively on the second part of Doctor Zhivago." In a 1958 letter to a friend in West Germany, Pasternak wrote, "She was put in jail on my account, as the person considered by the secret police to be closest to me, and they hoped that by means of a grueling interrogations with bright lights, sleep deprivation, and solitary confinement and threats they could extract enough evidence from her to put me on trial. I owe my life, and the fact that they did not touch me in those years, to her heroism and endurance."

"Kubla Khan," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge...

Kubla Khan... "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree. Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round; And here were gardens bright with sinuous rills Where blossom'd many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. But, oh, that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! As holy and enchanted As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced: Amid whose swift half-intermitted Burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail: And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever It flung up momently the sacred river. Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the caverns measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean: And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war! The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves; Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves. It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! A damsel with a dulcimer In a vision once I saw: It was an Abyssinian maid And on her dulcimer she play'd, Singing of Mount Abora. Could I revive within me Her symphony and song, To such a deep delight 'twould win me, That with music loud and long, I would build that dome in air, That sunny dome! those caves of ice! And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread: For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drank the milk of Paradise."

Why Does Lost Love Hurt So Much?, ~ From "Psychology Today"...

..."I still can see your face... It's been so many years..."

The problem of heartbreak resides within our memories... Post relationship grief involves universal response patterns of physical distress and emotional anguish. Hidden shame often dominates the experience of romantic loss. Old wounds can leave us with an intolerance of uncertainty. Heartache is a way that humanity experiences the separation of the self from the other. When the unity of love is interrupted or ended we may become acutely aware of our vulnerability. Romantic separation can be considered an ambiguous loss since the person who is gone still exists among us. We may experience grief not only for the person we loved and lost but also for the fantasy of who we had thought or hoped the other could be. Love based on fantasy is often subject to the uncertainty that eventually accompanies it. Heartbreaking Memories... The problem of heartbreak resides within our memories of emotional attachment to the person we lost. Exciting and enjoyable memories coupled with the anguish of loss keep the heartbroken person in pain. What haunts those who grieve from lost love is the ghost of everything good: Memories of desire and fulfillment. Distressing, angry, or bittersweet memories may temporarily hold positive memories at bay, but they represent our continued attachment. Negative emotions like anger, disappointment, or disgust do not signal the absence of love since all emotions make us care. Thus, to love is to care—to be emotionally invested in the other either positively or negatively. Indeed, the opposite of love is indifference. The intensity of romantic heartbreak is roughly equivalent between men and women. Post relationship grief involves universal response patterns of physical distress and emotional anguish that may include anger, depression, anxiety, panic, worry, sadness, emotional numbness, nausea, sleep loss, loss of appetite, reduced immune system function, intrusive thoughts, and decreases in activity in brain regions linked to feeling, motivation, and concentration. Whereas some people may disavow any wrongdoing for the demise of a relationship, others may self-blame or seek certainty for the separation decision. The anguish of circumstances where love is impossible or lost is sublimely expressed by the music, words, and vocal tones of numerous songs. The bereft may feel less alone in resonating with a song, since those who have lost love tend to silently hold their grief. The Shame of Heartache... Hidden shame often dominates the experience of romantic loss, accompanied by a longing to restore what has been lost. The shame moods associated with relationship loss may become so toxic that they are perceived as depression. Shame is the emotion of indignity and alienation, felt as a sickness of the soul or as an inner torment. Such moments of shame leave us defeated, alienated, and lacking in dignity or worth. We live through others and in them, so when another person turns away from us we become unseen in a sense that we may believe we cease to be. Some theorists have used the term “ego shock” or “cognitive shock” to refer to a state of psychological paralysis resulting from powerful blows to one’s self-esteem or pride, where we have an inability to think clearly and have shame-related thoughts that lead us to imagine our worst and most damaged self. Recovering and Remembering... As humans, we have a capacity to recover from the wounds of heartache, but our memory system, which evolution designed to protect our future choices, does not seem to let us forget. Our brain actively engages with images of a remembered past. Memory can bring forth an earlier but unresolved experience of shame that may have involved a crushing betrayal or the recollection of an important personal relationship that had been surrendered. Old wounds can leave us with intolerance of uncertainty that accompanies our vulnerability in seeking new love. Nevertheless, if we can recognize shame and our historical experience of it, we may use moments when the shame of a broken bond becomes an unexpected opportunity to look inside ourselves, to learn, or to make ourselves different.

The Last Moments Of "Doctor Zhivago"...

The Tragic Life-Affirming, Love-Hope Of "Doctor Zhivago"...

...THIS is WHY, I believe, the novel won the Nobel prize for literature and why the book and movie have such appeal to millions and millions and millions of people >>> FEW people EVER, EVER know the intense, soul-connection, the extremely passionate life-giving and life-crushing love, actually indescribable love, that Yuri had for Lara, and she for him, very rare, ~ the Romeo & Juliet thing, and fed, made even stronger by deep longing, and adversity, for Lara & Yuri, the fear of the Russian Revolution... (Most people have a more comfortable kind of romantic love.) Very likely, for his mental health too, Boris Pasternak's couldn't HELP writing "Doctor Zhivago," because, he too, had this very rare type of love with Olga Ivinskaya, during the last thirteen years of his life. ...Lara and Yuri were separated for three years after Komarovsky took her forcibly away, when she was pregnant by Yuri, and then, later after the child was born, Lara was sent to a gulag, a Soviet concentration camp. At last, on the day he died, Yuri suffered a massive and fatal heart attack as he saw Lara walking along the street. He tried desperately, to reach her, then, died. She never knew he was even there, as she continued to walk along... Later, Lara is again, very sadly, put into another gulag, where she finally died. But, Lara & Yuri's daughter survived.

The Power Of The Poet...

Who cares about the death or life of a dictator?... They don't visit Stalin's grave in Russia like they do Boris Pasternak's, who wrote "Doctor Zhivago". Yuri Zhivago was a doctor, ~ yes, but also a poet. His soul was pure and loving, and he tried to survive in Bolshevik Russia, at the time of the Russian Rvolution. His and Lara's tender and passionate love has touched millions. Today his grave in Peredelkino Cemetary in the village of Peredelkino, a small artist's retreat about 30 kilometers southwest of Moscow, is seldom without visitors. Boris Pasternk's house, where he wrote much of "Doctor Zhivago," is a museum.

"Doctor Zhivago," ~ such an incredibly BEAUTIFUL movie!!!...

The warm weather scenes were shot in Spain. The winter scenes were shot in Finland. In the Russian language the root word of the name "Zhivago," is the Russian word for LIFE... >

(Sigh.) *Thats how we get them!... ;)

"Xanadu," ~ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge...

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a poet, was writing an epic poem when a there was a knock on his door, ~ a salesman who ranted on until the poet thought he would die. When he finally got rid of the salesman, Coleridge discovered, to his horror, that most of the epic poem had retreated from his mind! But, ~ there was some of it left... I love his poem, "Xanadu," so much I memorized some of it: "In Xanadu, did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree, where Alph, the sacred river ran from caverns measureless to ma, down to a sunless sea... And, there were forests bright with sinuous rills enfolding sunny spots of greenery... A savage place!... As ere beneath the waning moon, woman waited, wailing for her demon lover!... And, from this savage place Kubla Khan head voices, prophesizing war!... A damsel with a dulcimer I once heard... 'T was an Abyssinian maid, singing of mount Abora... If I could re-create within me her symphony in song, to such a deep delight would win me, that with music loud and long, I could create that sunny dome, those caves of ice!... And, all who saw me would stop and stare... And, all would cry, 'Beware, beware, his flashing eyes, his floating hair!... Weave a circle 'round him thrice and close your eyes with holy dread, for he on honeydew has fed and drunk the milk of paradise!'"

Behind The Scenes: The Making Of "Doctor Zhivago"...

Omar Sharif was chosen to play Yuri Zhivago, but it was thought that his hairline was too low and his hair too curly, his eyes too round. Sharif's hairline was shaved, his hair straighten and his eyes narrowed and elongated by temporary lifts painfully put into his hairline at the sides of his face and, then painfully pulled tight.

Linda Ronstadt Sings "Blue Bayou"...

Paul Simon sings, ~ "Homeward Bound"...

Lara's Theme (Somewhere, My Love) from "Doctor Zhivago," ...

UGH, PL AH, ~ winter!!!...

The Famous Pogo Cartoon: "We have met the enemy and he is us"... :(

Olga, ~ Boris Pasternak's Love, who formed the basis for Dr. Zhivago's Lara...

Olga Vsevolodovna Ivinskaya (Russian: Ольга Всеволодовна Ивинская; June 16, 1912, Tambov – September 8, 1995, Moscow) was a Soviet poet and writer. She is best-known as friend and lover of Nobel Prize-winning writer Boris Pasternak during the last 13 years of his life and the inspiration for the character of Lara in his novel Doctor Zhivago (1957). Early life: Ivinskaya, of German-Polish descent, was born in Tambov to a provincial high school teacher. In 1915, the family moved to Moscow. After graduating from the Editorial Workers Institute in Moscow in 1936, she worked as an editor at various literary magazines. She was an admirer of Pasternak since her adolescence, attending literary gatherings to listen to his poetry. She married twice: the first time to Ivan Emelianov in 1936, who hanged himself in 1939, having one daughter, Irina Emelianova; the second time in 1941 to Alexander Vinogradov (later killed in the war), producing one son, Dmitry Vinogradov. Relationship with Pasternak: She met Boris Pasternak in October 1946, in the editorial office of Novy Mir, where she was in charge of the new authors department. She was romantically involved with him until his death, although he refused to leave his wife. Early in 1948, he asked her to leave Novy Mir, as her position there was getting more difficult because of their relationship. She took up a role as his secretary instead. Ivinskaya collaborated closely with Pasternak on translating poetry from foreign languages into Russian. While she was translating the Bengali language poet Rabindranath Tagore, Pasternak advised her, to "1) bring out the theme of the poem, its subject matter, as clearly as possible; tighten up the fluid, non-European form by rhyming internally, not at the end of the lines; 3) use loose, irregular meters, mostly ternary ones. You may allow yourself to use assonances." Later, while collaborating with him on a translation of the Czech language poet Vítězslav Nezval, Pasternak told Ivinskaya, "Use the literal translation only for the meaning, but do not borrow words as they stand from it: they are absurd and not always comprehensible. Don't translate everything, only what you can manage, and by this means try to make the translation more precise than the original—an absolute necessity in the case of such a confused, slipshod piece of work." Pasternak acknowledged Ivinskaya as the inspiration for Doctor Zhivago's heroine Lara.Many poems by Yuri Zhivago in the novel were addressed by Pasternak to Ivinskaya. In October 1949, Ivinskaya was arrested as "an accomplice to the spy" and in July 1950 was sentenced by the Special Council of the NKVD to five years in the Gulag.That was seen as an attempt to press Pasternak to give up writings critical of the Soviet system. In a 1958 letter to a friend in West Germany, Pasternak wrote, "She was put in jail on my account, as the person considered by the secret police to be closest to me, and they hoped that by means of a grueling interrogation and threats they could extract enough evidence from her to put me on trial. I owe my life and the fact that they did not touch me in those years to her heroism and endurance." At that time of her arrest, Ivinskaya was pregnant by Pasternak and miscarried. She was released in 1953 after Stalin's death.Doctor Zhivago was published in Italy in 1957 by Feltrinelli, with Ivinskaya conducting all negotiations on Pasternak's behalf. Ivinskaya was one of nine "prisoners of conscience" featured in Persecution 1961, a book by Peter Benenson that helped launch Amnesty International. In it, Benenson lauded her for refusing to cooperate with authorities and for willingly suffering to protect Pasternak. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the opening of Soviet archives, some sources suggested that, like most torture victims, she had been induced to cooperate with the KGB. - New York Times mentions "Moskovsky Komsomolets" as a source. Final years: After Pasternak's death in 1960, Ivinskaya was arrested for the second time, with her daughter, Irina Emelianova. She was accused of being Pasternak's link with Western publishers in dealing in hard currency for Doctor Zhivago. The Soviet government quietly released them, Irina after one year, in 1962, and Ivinskaya in 1964. She served four years of an eight-year sentence, apparently to punish her for the relationship. In 1978, her memoirs were published in Paris in Russian and were translated in English under the title A Captive of Time. Ivinskaya was rehabilitated only under Gorbachev in 1988. All of Pasternak's letters to her and other manuscripts and documents had been seized by the KGB during her last arrest. She spent several years in litigation trying to regain them. However, those were blocked by his daughter-in-law, Natalya. The Supreme Court of Russia ended up ruling against her on the ground that "there was no proof of ownership" and "papers should remain in the state archive". She died in 1995 from cancer. A reporter on NTV compared Ivinskaya's role to that of other famous muses for Russian writers: "As Pushkin would not be complete without Anna Kern, and Yesenin would be nothing without Isadora Duncan, so Pasternak would not be Pasternak without Olga Ivinskaya, who was his inspiration for 'Doctor Zhivago.' ". Her daughter, Irina Emelianova, who emigrated to France in 1985, published a book of memories of her mother's affair with Pasternak.

"Jolene," By Dolly Parton...

What is remarkable about this vivid song is that the woman pleading with the exqisitely beautiful Jolene is not jealous or vidictive, but only humbly asks Jolene not to take her man because she will never love again, and he is her only one...

A Little Bit About Bobby,...

Bobby Hatfield: Birth name Robert Lee Hatfield Born August 10, 1940 Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, U.S. Died November 5, 2003 (aged 63) Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. Genres Blue-eyed soul Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter Instrument(s) Vocals Years active 1961–2003 Robert Lee Hatfield (August 10, 1940 – November 5, 2003) was an American singer. He and Bill Medley were the Righteous Brothers. He sang the tenor part for the duo and sang solo on the group's 1965 recording of "Unchained Melody". Early life Born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, Hatfield moved with his family to Anaheim, California, when he was four. He attended Anaheim High School, where he played football and baseball and was co-captain of the basketball team. He was student body president in the 1957–1958 school year, graduating in 1958. He briefly considered signing as a professional ballplayer, but his passion for music led him to pursue a singing career while still attending high school. He attended Fullerton College. He eventually encountered his singing partner, Bill Medley, while attending California State University, Long Beach. Hatfield is an alumnus of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Career Bobby Hatfield initially was in a group from Anaheim called the Variations. In 1962, Hatfield joined with Medley, who was in a group called the Paramours, and formed a five-member group using the same name: Paramours. They first performed at a club called John's Black Derby in Santa Ana.Later they performed as a duo and named their singing act The Righteous Brothers. They were often told they sounded like African-American gospel singers and chose the name after black Marines remarked of their singing, "that's righteous, brothers" and called them "righteous brothers". Their first charted single as the Righteous Brothers was "Little Latin Lupe Lu" released under the label Moonglow Records, and they appeared regularly on the television show Shindig! Hatfield also recorded as solo artist with Moonglow and released an uncharted single, "Hot Tamales"/"I Need a Girl". In 1964, they appeared in a show at the Cow Palace near San Francisco and met the music producer Phil Spector, whose group The Ronettes was also in the show. Spector was impressed and signed them to his own label Philles Records. Their first No. 1 was "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," produced by Phil Spector in 1964. Follow-up hits included "Unchained Melody," which was actually a Hatfield solo performance. After the success of "Unchained Melody", Spector then started recording older standards with the Righteous Brothers such as "Ebb Tide", which Hatfield also performed solo, and it reached the Top 5. Both "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide" were songs he had performed with his first group, the Variations. Another two of the last songs the duo recorded with Philles Records, "The White Cliffs of Dover" and "For Sentimental Reasons", were performed solo by Hatfield. In 1966, the Righteous Brothers left Spector and signed with Verve/MGM Records, and had a hit with "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration". However the duo broke up in 1968, and Hatfield teamed with singer Jimmy Walker (from The Knickerbockers) using the Righteous Brothers name on the MGM label. The new partnership released an album but did not have much success. Hatfield recorded a number of singles as a solo artist, such as the self-penned "Hang Ups" and covers of older songs, but "Only You" was his only charted single, peaking at No. 95. In 1969, Hatfield also appeared in the TV movie The Ballad of Andy Crocker. In 1971, he released a solo album, Messin' in Muscle Shoals, recorded at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals in August 1970. However, MGM was in financial trouble, a scheduled single "The Promised Land"/"Woman You Got No Soul" was not released, and with little promotion the album largely went unnoticed. Hatfield and Medley reunited in 1974, and had another hit, the No. 3 "Rock and Roll Heaven." A hiatus followed between 1976 and 1981 when Medley retired from music after his ex-wife died, but they reunited for an anniversary special on American Bandstand in 1981 to perform an updated version of "Rock and Roll Heaven". In 1990, after the success of the film Ghost in which "Unchained Melody" was used, Hatfield re-recorded the song and remarked to friends that he had not lost any of the high notes in his tenor range since the original recording, but had actually gained one note. The duo then toured extensively all through the 1990s and early 2000s. The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003 by Billy Joel. Personal life Hatfield had a short marriage with Joy Ciro, who appeared as a dancer on the T.A.M.I. Show and Where the Action Is. They had two children, Bobby, Jr. and Kalin. Hatfield married Linda Torrison on August 4, 1979, and they remained married until his death. Linda suffered from lupus, and Hatfield set up an annual golf tournament, the Bobby Hatfield Charity Golf Classic, to raise funds for charities for the disease. The couple had two children, Vallyn and Dustin. Death Hatfield died at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, on November 5, 2003. He was found by Bill Medley and the Righteous Brothers' road manager Dusty Hanvey. A security guard let them into Hatfield's room after he had failed to show up at the concert venue when expected. He apparently died in his sleep, hours before a scheduled Righteous Brothers concert. In January 2004, a toxicology report concluded that Hatfield had advanced coronary disease.

Bobby Hatfield, ~ THAT VOICE!!!...

When he sang "Only You," and "Unchained Melody," people melted. I'll never forget what he meant to my life.

"Doctor Zhivago"...

Sylvester Stallone was offered $350,000 for "Rocky, but only if he would give up starring in it, AND he refused!!!.."

...He was so broke at that time that he sold his beloved dog because he couldn't afford to feed him. He had $106 in the bank, and still he refused...

"I Will Always Love You," ~ From "The Bodyguard"...

Sniff-sniff-sniff :( >>> Rest In Peace, Beautiful Bobby...

Little Italy, ~ from "The Cleveland Encyclopeda"...

LITTLE ITALY, one of 5 major Italian settlements in Cleveland), is located from E. 119th to E. 125th streets on Murray Hill and Mayfield roads. Established in 1885, this physically well-protected and well-defined ethnic enclave is bordered by the forested bluff of LAKE VIEW CEMETERY to the north and east and the Regional Transit Authority's Windermere-Airport Rapid Transit line and the CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS campus to the west. Little Italy Often referred to as "Murray Hill" because of the street by that name in the center of the neighborhood, the Italian hilltown has a reputation as a closed community whose assets are historic and original. By the late 1890s, many Italian immigrants had settled in the Mayfield-Murray Hill area and worked in the nearby marbleworks, one of which, the Lakeview Marble Works, was founded by skilled stonemason JOSEPH CARABELLI. In 1911 it was estimated that 96% of the inhabitants were Italian-born, and another 2% were of Italian parents. Many of these Italians were Neapolitan and were engaged in skilled lacework, garmentmaking, and the embroidery trades. The largest group came from the towns of Ripalimosani, Matrice, and San Giovanni in Galdo, located in the Campobasso Province. Present-day Little Italy is one of the few city neighborhoods attracting thousands of suburban shoppers in a rush to capitalize on its historical charm. Relatively crime-free, Little Italy is a trendy, upscale center for art, dining, and gracious living. As of 2021, the Italian character and presence in the neighborhood remains predominant. However, in recent years, Italian residents have been joined by others, including numerous Asian and Middle Eastern graduate students from CWRU, as well as ALBANIAN and Latin American immigrants. In the community where the macaroni machine was invented in 1906, visitors will find the Little Italy Historical Museum, the ALTA HOUSE and Library, Murray Hill School, the HOLY ROSARY CHURCH, numerous restaurants, and artists' studios and shops. In 1993 the community dedicated Tony Brush Park, named for champion boxer and Little Italy resident Anthony Brescia, at Mayfield and Random roads.

Rocky Proses To Adrian...

We all know what Rocky says: "If you know what you're worth, go out and get what you're worth. That's how you win."

Surrrrrrrrre... ;)

"Only You," ~ Bobby Hatfield...

***HOW RARE is the Romeo & Juliet type of love, ~ really???... I think this song is surely about that sort of emotional, physical, and spiritual soul connection... Absolutely one of the most thrillingly beautiful love songs ever created, exquisitely sung by Bobby Hatfield...

"Rocky," ~ Eye Of The Tiger...

"Rocky," ~ "It's in the bag, Kid"...

...That's what Frank Sinatra said to Sylvester Stallone, who was waiting outside at the premier when Frank came out of the theatre after watching "Rocky". Audiences in theatres all over the country stood up and cheered at the end of this movie. (How often do you see that?) Sly Stallone was only 32 and he had heard a critic slamming "Rocky," but Peter Falk came out of the theatre saying, "It's just great. Don't listen to that critic. Go into the theatre now and talk to the people who just saw it." And, --- Sly did, and the people congratulated him. Sly, who had fought a very hard battle all the way uphill to get "Rocky" to the screen, broke down. Sly had been an out of work actor, at one time homeless. Before he sold "Rocky" and fought to star in it he'd been so poor and desperate that he'd sold his beloved dog at a liquor store for $50 because he could no longer afford to feed him. (Later, as soon as he got money for "Rocky" he waited at that same liquor store for 3 days until the man he sold his dog to showed up. BUT, the rotten guy refused to sell the dog back to Sly until he got $15,000 for the dog & a small role in "Rocky"!) The English Bull Mastiff, Butkus, that you'll see in "Rocky" is that dog, --- Sly's dog in real life. It's hard to find someone who dislikes this movie. Sly wrote it in 3 days, in longhand. It was originally much darker, and he worked on it as screenwriter for free during it's production. (Sly bought the hat he wears in the movie for $3 at a thrift store.) Of course, "Rocky" won the Oscar for Best Picture. Rocky's story is not only a story about an underdog boxer who "goes the distance," but it's a love story about 2 people who would ordinarily lose, but didn't... THEY WON. Rocky says: "If you know your worth go out and get what you're worth. Keep on punching. Eventually, you'll knock something down." Yeah, --- such great advice.

***PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE!!!... Please tap the hood of your car several times, loudly, BEFORE YOU START THE ENGINE... This could save some poor, little stray cat from horrific injury or death!!!... 😟

"More Than You Know," ~ Ella Fitzgerald...

...The great Ella Fitzgerald, her clear, bluesy soprano, ~ just gorgeous as she sings about a forever love.

"Unchained Melody," Sung By Duncan Todd, From The Prison Movie "Unchained"...

"Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me"...

Bobbie Hatfield Of The Righteous Brothers Sings "Unchained Melody"... (If you've never heard this, you have a huge treat in store for you.)

...LOVELY. He was only twenty-five and very nervous before he sang this song. You can tell by his breathless words when talking to Andy Williams with Bill Medley. But once he got into the song he relaxed, ~ and sang his heart. His sweet smile at the end shows that he knew he nailed it!... I'll always love you, Bobby. Rest in peace, beautiful singer. >>> Bobby Hatfield sang this magnificently beautiful song on October 25, 1965. His mother and new wife were in the audience and Bobby had a cold at the time. According to some sources, the notes he sang at the end of Unchained Melody are indeed high C. He changed the melody for the “I need your love” line in the final verse, singing it very high. He also claimed that he had not lost any of the high notes in his tenor range since the original recording, but had actually gained one note. Bobby Hatfield, a tenor, could sing an astonding four octaves with seemingly effortless ease. He was greatly praised for his warm, smooth, and luscious tone, his vowel choices, his transitions between registers, and his mix of soaring falsetto and rich, deep chest voice. He had a tremendous voice and talent, and his solo performance of Unchained Melody is considered one of the finest vocalizations of the song and one of the most beautiful love song renditions of all time. Unchained Melody was written for the 1955 movie, Unchained, a drama set in a prison. An inmate sings the song about his wife, his longing to see her and his worry that, because of their separation, she no longer loves him. People melted when young, handsome, sweet and humble Bobby Hatfield sang Unchained Melody. Women, and men too, dripped unashamed tears, saying they had no words vivid enough to describe the way his clear, powerful voice and his pure and honest way with the song made them feel. Myriads of couples in love claim it as their song.

A flock of robins in January???!!!...

I'm looking out my window and I see a bunch of robins, hopping on the grass. I found out that robins do, indeed, look for winter food sources in January, like crabapples and hawthorne berries. ;D

They are family... Never leave them behind...

...Especially, in emergency situations... :(

National Cuddle Day --- In The USA...

She KNEW!!!...

In the golden light of dawn on a brisk April morning in 1912, a small, determined cat named Jenny scurried along the cobblestone streets of Southampton. Jenny, a sleek tabby with emerald eyes, had been a beloved fixture on the RMS Titanic, a ship hailed as the pinnacle of human engineering. She had quietly boarded in Belfast, finding solace in the ship's warm engine rooms and the gentle hum of the massive engines. Jenny, unlike many, was not merely a stowaway; she was a cherished member of the Titanic's crew. Her days were spent chasing shadows and sunbeams through the grand corridors and lavish staterooms. At night, she would curl up in a cozy nook beside the ship's boilers, where the rhythmic thrum of the engines lulled her and her newborn kittens into peaceful slumber. The ship's crew, particularly a kind-hearted stoker named Edward, had grown fond of Jenny. Edward, a burly man with a soft spot for animals, had taken it upon himself to ensure Jenny and her kittens were well-fed with scraps from the ship's kitchens. His affection for the feline family had grown so strong that he often found himself sneaking away from his duties just to spend a few moments with them. As the Titanic prepared for its maiden voyage, an air of excitement and anticipation filled the ship. However, for Jenny, something felt amiss. Her feline instincts, sharper than any human's intuition, sensed an impending doom. One serene evening, as the ship lay anchored in Southampton, Jenny made a decision that would alter the course of her life. With a heavy heart but unwavering resolve, Jenny began the arduous task of moving her kittens. One by one, she carried them in her mouth, descending the gangplank onto the chilly Southampton docks. Edward, witnessing this unusual behavior, felt a chill run down his spine. He watched, perplexed and worried, as Jenny ferried her kittens to safety, away from the ship that had been their home. As the final kitten was placed gently on the cobblestones, Jenny paused, her gaze lingering on the Titanic's towering silhouette against the starry sky. It was as if she was saying a silent farewell to the grand vessel that had been her sanctuary. Edward, torn between duty and a gnawing sense of foreboding, made a choice that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He decided to follow Jenny's lead. Gathering his few possessions, he disembarked the Titanic, his heart heavy with an inexplicable sorrow. Days later, as news of the Titanic's tragic fate reached Southampton, Edward realized the magnitude of Bella's intuition. The ship had sunk, taking with it the hopes and dreams of many. But Jenny, with her extraordinary perception, had saved her little family – and in doing so, had also saved Edward. Years later, Edward, now an old man, would often recount the tale of Jenny, the Titanic cat. His eyes would sparkle with a mix of sadness and admiration as he spoke of her instinctual wisdom that fateful night. Jenny's story, a blend of mystery and miracle, became a legend among the seafaring folk of Southampton – a poignant reminder of the unsinkable spirit of a mother's love. 🩶🤍