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Mrs. Slocombe remembers being flung flat on her back on Clapham Common, Mr. Lucas sees more of Miss Brahms' mother's underwear than he does of hers, and Mr. Grainger can't get the old boiler working anymore.

Making a hard knife from a brittle material

A compilation of many instances of everybody's favourite theatre critics signing off at the end of the show...

Although it could be said that this particular performance is perhaps a tad dry and somewhat lacking in passion, I nonetheless like this rendition for its crisp, clean sounds, and for Sokolov's undeniable technical prowess.

Voici un extrait d'un DVD du groupe charmant Amélie-les-Crayons, où ils chantent le fameux 'Paillasson'. Cette chanson, que j'adore, réprésente bien le côté coquin du personnage d'Amélie. (Car toutes ses chansons sont écrits d'un de deux points de vue: l'Amélie un peu maligne, qui chante des chansons pétillantes et pleines d'humour; et l'Amélie l'amoureuse, qui chante des chansons très douces, pleines de tendresse.) Un vrai spectacle (non seulement un simple concert), l'ambiance est chaleureux, et la complicité entre les membres du groupe est bien évidente.

'What's My Line' was an American game show that ran from 1950 - 1967. Its premise was basically a guessing game: contestants were to guess the "line" (line of work) and name of a guest, by asking only questions that could be answered with a 'yes' or a 'no'.In 1952, Dali appeared on the show, with hilarious results. Witness the verbal gymnastics the poor host John Daly must go through in order to be both fair to the contestants, and simultaneously not offend Dali's sensibilities... "I think it would be too misleading to suggest that our guest had a basic affiliation with sports - this is not to say that it's not within the compass of his enjoyment to indulge in this particular endeavour." Dali's answers, and the questions asked of him, become slightly surreal (pardon the pun) as the segment goes on. :)His performance is here in its entirety; enjoy!

I've always had a fondness for this charming piece by Daquin, even though I'm far from fond of the harpsichord! I have one other video of this piece, performed by Cziffra, but the quality is terrible (the quality of the video, obviously, not the playing!). As for this performance, I must confess: I don't know this musician at all. This clip was recorded at the Festival Artistico Coahuila in Sabinas, Mexico.

Hapless Gonzo tries a new trick; irascible duo Statler and Waldorf suffer the consequences.

"See the muffin? Then you hear the 'boom' a-shootin'..." In this episode: the Chef, in his inimitable way, teaches us how to make a true Canadian specialty: the doughnut.

Taken from what I believe is a 1961 episode of The Judy Garland Show (though I could be mistaken), Mr. Dino Crochetti sings 'You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.'

In 2002, Pulp released what would be their last single before going on hiatus: Bad Cover Version, a song about cheap imitations - in life and in love. In this vein, the b-sides included on CD2 of the single are bad cover versions of two Pulp songs, sung by Roisin Murphy (formerly of Moloko), and Nick Cave. And, to complete the process, the accompanying video is itself a (bad?) cover version, with actors and impersenators playing the parts of the various stars that contributed to the infamous Band Aid video 'Do They Know It's Christmas'. (One would think it was 1984 all over again... or 1989, or 2004, with the follow-up further releases...) Oh, the irony. :)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet performs Billy Strayhorn's 'Take The A Train' at the University of Rome, in 1959.