Eartha Kitt - R.I.P.

It was reported that Eartha Kitt, 81, died in New York on December 25, where she was being treated for colon cancer. Her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, was by her side.

Her recording of the saucy Christmas song "Santa Baby" was certified gold last week.

Kitt was well known for her distinctive and sultry voice and made a name for herself in her portrayal of Catwoman in the television series "Batman." That role produced Kitt's recognizable sensual cat growl.

She worked in film, theater, cabaret, music and on television during her lengthy career. According to Kitt's official Web site, she was nominated for a Tony three times, a Grammy and Emmy twice.

Eartha Kitt's Biggest Hit "Santa Baby"


Eartha Kitt as Catwoman on "Batman"


~ ~ ~

plez sez: it's amazing that Eartha Kitt would pass away on Christmas Day, seeing as her biggest hit was "Santa Baby." back in the day, Ms. Kitt was known as a sultry, seductive beauty... even transcended the taboo of being the Black love interest of whitebread white batman in the mid- to late-1960's (to my knowledge, batman's only Black nemesis).

i still recall being amazed as a youngster watching the SUPER HOT Black catwoman work her magic on batman... and then being mildly upset when Kitt was replaced by lee meriweather (Kitt had replaced julie newmar).

talent like hers is rare... she'll be missed.

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the New York Times article about the seductive actress and singer.

Read the CNN.com article about Eartha Kitt's death.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Christmas Yule Log

Merry Christmas from plezWorld

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Someday at Christmas" - Stevie Wonder - 1967

Title song for the Stevie Wonder Christmas album is probably one of the most moving of all songs written for the Christmas holiday.

"Someday at Christmas" was also covered by Wonder's label mates at Motown, The Jackson 5, on their Christmas album a few years later.

Someday at Christmas by Stevie Wonder


~ ~ ~

plez sez: wow! this one is deep. should give all a reason to pause and think what is the reason for this season.

Merry Christmas!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cornbread Dressing in plezWorld

Cornbread Dressing Prep

Growing up, my mother always made stuffing in the turkey while cooking it for Thanksgiving. In adulthood, plezWorld has taken to making dressing since I make an awesome roasted brine turkey that is stuffed with aromatics rather than breadcrumbs.

My wife was raised on dressing and as a consequence, I spent a good portion of our marriage perfecting a cornbread dressing that is to her liking: moist, flavorful, and good without gravy. Once again, I've invaded the archives of the Food Network to get some basic direction on the type of cornbread dressing that I would ultimately create.

This old-fashioned cornbread dressing is flavorful, tender and moist. Although, slightly embellished by plezWorld, the ingredients are simple, the flavors blend well, and it's not necessary to slather your plate with gravy.

plezWorld's Cornbread Dressing

The Cornbread:

• 2 ears of yellow corn
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper powder
  
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 3 cups corn meal
  
  
• 1 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain)
  
• 1 cup cold water
  
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter and set aside.

Cut the corn kernels from the cob into a small bowl. Dust the kernels with salt and chipotle chile pepper. Mix well.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add the corn meal, and stir to combine. Add the yogurt, water, and corn mixture. Mix well.

Add melted butter to batter. Stir all ingredients well until the batter reaches a uniform consistency.

Pour the batter into a greased 9x13-inch pan, and bake 30 minutes. The cornbread will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Make the cornbread a day before you intend to make your dressing. Leave it out, uncovered, overnight.

~ ~ ~

The Dressing:

• 1 9x13-inch pan of cornbread, crumbled
  
• 1 bag of seasoned stuffing croutons
  
• 3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)
  
  
• 1 cup portabello mushrooms, chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  
• 3 large stalks celery, chopped
  
• 1 large onion, chopped (2-1/2 to 3 cups)
  
• 1 large red pepper, diced
  
  
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
  
• 1 cup fresh cranberry
  
  
• 4 cups chicken stock
  
• 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
  
• 4 leaves fresh sage, rubbed
  
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano, rubbed
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 teaspoons curry powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Crumble the cornbread and croutons into a large mixing bowl.

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Sauté the onion, celery, mushroom, and green pepper in butter over medium heat until onion is transparent. Add minced garlic and continue to saute until garlic sweats.

Combine the sautéed vegetables with the bread crumbs and mix well. Fold in sage, oregano, pecans, and cranberries. Mix well. NOTE: Up to this point, the dressing can be prepared an hour or so in advance.

When you are ready to bake the dressing, add the beaten eggs and chicken stock, and stir. Add rubbed sage and oregano, black pepper, and curry powder. Mix thoroughly.

Pour mixture into well greased large shallow pan and bake for 40 minutes. After baking for 15 minutes, stir dressing in the pan so that it cooks uniformly.

plez sez: prepare your taste buds for a blast of flavor that compliments the turkey and other fixin's.

Happy Holidays from plezWorld to your family!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Christmas Rappin'" - Kurtis Blow - 1979

This is a plezWorld re-post to get you in the Spirit.

To aid in that effort and help you work up a sweat, I've included "Christmas Rappin'" and Part 2 of "Rappin' Blow"!

"Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis Blow

As released by Mercury Records in 1979

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house...

Hold Up! That's played out!

Don't you get me all that jive
About things you wrote before I was alive
'Cause this ain't 1823
Ain't even 1970

Now I'm the guy named Kurtis Blow
And Christmas is one thing I know
So every year, just about this time
I celebrate it with a rhyme

Gonna shake it, gonna bake it, gonna make it good
Gonna rock shock rock through your neighborhood
Gonna ring it, gonna sing it till it's understood
My rap's about to happen
Like the knee you was slappin
Or the toe you been tappin' on a hunk of wood

'Bout a red-suited dude, with a friendly attitude
And a sleigh full of goodies for the people on the block
Got a long white beard, maybe looks kind of weird
And if you ever seen him he could give a quite shock

Now people let me tell ya about last year
When the dude came flying over here
Well the hawk was out, the snow's on the ground,
Folks stayed in to party down

The beat was thumping on the block,
And I was dancing in my socks

And the drummer played at a solid pace

And a taste of the bass was in my face

And the guitar player laid down a heavy layer of the funky chunky rhythm of the disco beat

And the guy with the 88
Started to participate
And I could sure appreciate it sound so sweat

We were all in the mood so we had a little food
And a joke, and a smoke, and a little bit of wine
When I thought I heard a hoof on top of the roof
Could it be or was it me? I was feeling super fine

So I went to the attic where I thought heard the static
On a chance that the prance was somebody breaking in
But the noise on the top was a reindeer clop
Just a tricky St. Nick so I let the sucker in

He was rolly, he was poly, and not the holy moly
You got a lot of whiskers on your chinny, chin, chin
He was loud, he was proud of the hairy little crowd
On the point of the door where the skin should've been

Get's cool for a fool throwin' out a merry yule
For a day on sleigh where the cold winds blow
So the beard maybe cleared but I never have it cheered
'Cause it's warm in the storm when it's ten below

I said, "You're right it's cold tonight,
Can you stop for a drop before you go?"
He said, "Why not? If the music's hot,
And I'll chance a dance beneath the mistletoe."

So he went downstairs and forgot his cares
And he rocked the spot and danced like a pro
And every young girl tried to rock his world
But he boogie oogie oogied till he had to go

And before he went this fine old gent
Finding gifts went sift through his big red bag
In the top for the bottom he reached in and got 'em
Had toys for boys and a girl's glad rag

And the grownups got some presents too
A new TV and a stere-ooh.
A new Seville 'bout as blue as the sky
The best that money couldn't buy

'Cause money could never ever buy the feelin
The one that comes from not concealin'
The way you feel about your friends
And this is how the story ends

The dude he heads back at the pole
Up north where everything is cold
But if he were right here tonight
He'd say "Merry Christmas! And to all -- a good night!"

~~~~~ RAPPIN' BLOW, PART 2 ~~~~~

I see that its not clear,
For you good buddy so clean out your ears,
So listen very closely while I pop my game,
'Cause my names in the Hall of Fame

The K-U-R, the T-I-S,
The first is the best I must confess
The B-L-O and the W
Makes you wanna catch the boogaloo flu

Now, If your name is Annie
Get up off your fannie
If your name is Clyde,
Get off your backside
If you name is Pete,
You don't need a seat

'Cause i'm Kurtis Blow and i'm on the go
I'm rocking to the beat in stere-ery-ooh!

Now just throw your hands in the air
And wave 'em like you just don't care.
And if your ready like Freddie to rock real steady ,
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"

Young ladies, all the ladies in the house say, "Owww"
And you don't stop, come on, come on, come on, let me see you rock.

Ah get down and stop messing around
When Kurtis Blow is in your town
I'm Kurtis Blow on the microphone
A place called Harlem was my home

I was rocking one day, it started to shake
It sound to me a-like a earthquake
I packed my bags, I said goodbye
I kissed my woman, and I started to fly

I came to Earth by a meteorite
To rock you all on the mic
So just kick off your shoes, let your fingers pop
Kurtis Blow's just about ready to rock

Now people in the back, if you're not too whack, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

People in the front, if you want to bump, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

People in the middle, if you want to wiggle, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

And people on the side, if you want to slide, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

Now a preacher or a teacher or a e-lec-tri-cian
A fighter, or a writer, or a po-li-ti-cian
The man with the key to your ignition
Kurtis Blow is competition

Young ladies, shock the house
Yes, the young ladies, shock the house

A-just throw your hands in the air
And wave them like you just don't care

If you're really, really ready to rock this house this morning
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"

Somebody scream

Young ladies, Mercedes, all the ladies in the house say "ow"
"Ow"

Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho-ho-ho!

KURTIS BLOW AD LIB & 70's ERA PARTY CHANTS

plez sez: quite possibly the GREATEST christmas song ever?!? quite possibly the GREATEST dance hit ever?!? ok, it is easily the GREATEST christmas song that you can dance to!!!

it is a fact that this was the FIRST rap single ever released by a major record label! kurtis blow and his two producers took this song to Mercury Records, who signed him to a 2-single deal, under the condition that if both singles were successful, he would get an album deal. this was the first single, and it did very well. the second single was "The Breaks," and it became the first rap song to be certified as a gold record, selling over 500,000 copies. kurtis got the album deal and became the first rapper signed to a major label. his first album contained the second part of "Christmas Rappin'," the party part with was released as "Rappin' Blow, Part 2."

plezWorld was in high school and had a party at my parents' house during the christmas break. i remember that my parents' house was packed, cars were all over the front lawn, and my oldest brother hooked me up with some "punch" and one of his frat brothers played the part of the dj. this song had just been released and it was the ONLY song that we played at the party... over and over and over! it was such a JAM, that we didn't want to listen to any of the other records! those were the days when you could throw a house party with only one or two records.

it's funny, but this single (which was a 12" single) is probably still in the record player at my parents' house.

NOTE: the sugar hill gang's "rapper's delight" was released earlier in the year by sugar hill records, which was not a major label at the time.


["christmas rappin'" info courtesy of SongFacts.]

[Lyrics are courtesy of plez sez from my bank vault-type memory of 29 years ago!]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Christmas with the Jackson 5 (1970)

In 1970, the Jackson 5 (Michael, Jermaine, Marlon, Jackie, and Tito) released what has turned out to be a classic Christmas album: "Jackson 5 Christmas Album." Already riding the crest of a string of hits, the Jackson 5 hit this one out of the proverbial park with updated interpretations of some old and some new Christmas themed songs. The beauty of the album lies in its simplicity and timeless aura.

All were in their early to late teens; check out the tight harmonies of the Jackson 5. You can hear the talent of Jermaine Jackson as he is replaced on this album as lead singer by a much more confident and savvy younger brother by the name of Michael. Yeah, THAT Michael Jackson! He takes each song and applies a signature sound that can be felt to this day in his music.

I still get a laugh at how Marlon and Michael needed to have their hair picked out on the album cover! And then I remember how tough it was for my parents to keep my afro right when I was a little boy.

One should also note because they were Jehovah Witnesses, the Jackson 5 did not celebrate Christmas! All of the songs are secular in nature with no religious overtones. None mention the birth of Jesus Christ... except for a veiled reference to bringing gifts in "The Little Drummer Boy."

The album appeared at Christmas time in plezWorld in 1970 and has been a fixture in my music rotation during Holidays for almost 40 years! I can put that album on right now to the listening pleasure of my wife, the seven-year old SugarPlum, and me. That's what I call timeless!

Album Playlist

1. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Blane/Martin) – 5:19
2. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (Coots/Gillespie) – 2:24
3. "The Christmas Song" (Torme/Wells) – 5:11
4. "Up on the Housetop" – 3:16
5. "Frosty the Snowman" (Nelson/Rollins) – 2:39
   
6. "The Little Drummer Boy" (Davis/Onorati/Simeone) – 3:15
7. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Marks) – 2:32
8. "Christmas Won't Be the Same This Year" (Sawyer/Ware) – 2:31
9. "Give Love on Christmas Day" (Gordy/Mizell/Perren/Richards) – 2:44
10. "Someday at Christmas" (Miller/Wells) – 2:44
11. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (Connors) – 3:01

~ ~ ~
Enjoy a few selections that I found on YouTube:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Jackson 5


Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Jackson 5


Frosty the Snowman - Jackson 5


Give Love On Christmas Day - Jackson 5


Christmas Won't Be The Same This Year - Jackson 5


Someday at Christmas - Jackson 5


Little Christmas Tree - Michael Jackson (solo)

This song is not on the "Jackson 5 Christmas Album"

~ ~ ~

plez sez: Merry Christmas, Ya'll!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Getting In The Spirit In plezWorld

i brushed the cobwebs and wayward spiders off of the four large bags and large box that contains the family christmas trees early this morning. there is one 9 foot pre-lit tree for the living room and one hulking 12 foot pre-lit tree that goes in the family room.

each tree takes a foot stool and about an hour to assemble. my wife and daughter will do the ornaments, bows, and glitter.

i like to throw on some festive soul christmas music to sing along with so the task doesn't become a chore.

then there is garland for the banisters and the fireplaces along with our christmas stockings over the fireplace. and the large wreaths with red bows that flap in the wind on the front doors.

a large cup of hot chocolate with some mini marshmallows never hurt.

okay... plezWorld is getting in The Spirit!

Black Friday Open Post

Just because plezWorld is in the RED, that doesn't stop this from being BLACK FRIDAY! You should be out shopping... I'll have a preview of the Georgia-Georgia Tech football game tomorrow... shop on!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Find the best deals in the US at BlackFriday.net.

Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Black Friday in metro Atlanta.

Read the CNN Money article about Black Friday in the US.

Read the CNN.com article about a Wal-Mart employee death on Black Friday.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Roasting Brine Turkey for the Holidays

I have taken on the role of Ye Royal Turkey Roaster for family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was not by accident... a few years ago, the Thanksgiving turkey was subjected to my mother-in-law's loving arms. Let's just say the bird wasn't the only one who regretted that choice.

Since that fateful day, I have taken over in ensuring that the center piece of the dinner table is blessed with a plump and juicy roaster that would be the envy of Martha Stewart!

I had some help - while channel surfing a few years ago, I came upon Food Network host Alton Brown using a brine solution to prep a turkey for roasting. Since I always cook a large Christmas dinner for the family, I gave it a shot... and it was a hit. That turkey had the juiciest and tastiest meat I'd ever eaten... and ALL of our guests were lined up to take a plate of it home after dinner.

With the guidance of this simple recipe, I've been putting the best turkey you've ever tasted on the table every Christmas since (and every Thanksgiving for the past 2 years).

Good Eats Roast Turkey
Courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
  
  For the brine:
  
• 1 cup kosher salt
  
• 1 cup light brown sugar
  
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
  
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  
• 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
  
• 1/2 tablespoon whole cloves
  
• 3 tablespoons fresh sliced ginger root
  
• 1 gallon iced water
  
  For the aromatics:
  
• 1 red apple, sliced
  
• 1 large lemon, halved
  
• 1 onion, sliced
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks
  
• 1 cup water
  
  
• 4 sprigs rosemary
  
• 6 leaves sage
  
  
• 2 cups Canola oil

Directions
At least 24 hours before you plan to cook the turkey, combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, and allow enough time to cool the brine solution to room temperature.

At least 12 hours prior to cooking, line a clean 5-gallon bucket with a large plastic trash bag with a tie top. Combine the brine and iced water inside the trash bag. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, tie the bag tightly, and set in cool area (like a basement or refrigerator) until ready to cook. Turn turkey over once, 6 hours into brining.

~ ~ ~

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, lemon, onion, cinnamon sticks, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird (inside and outside) liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting.

Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

* plezWorld has embellished and perfected this recipe over the years, this recipe is slightly different from the one on the Food Network site.

plez sez: get ready for the tastiest and juiciest turkey you've ever tasted!

...and of course plezWorld has you covered with a cornbread dressing recipe to compliment the world's best roasted turkey.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Music Videos

Mariah Carey:


Olivia Olson in the "Love Actually" Movie:


MERRY CHRISTMAS, Ya'll!!!

"This Christmas" - The Music

Donny Hathaway - The Original Version:

It's not Christmas until I've heard
Donny Hathaway's version of "This Christmas"

Chris Brown - Music Video:

Cuts from the movie make this video a delight

Boys II Men - Acapella:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

SugarPlum & Candy Cane Cookies

The SugarPlum's school is out this week for the holidays. For the past couple of days, SugarPlum and one of her friends from her class are engaged in an extended playdate (3 days and counting...). Monday was the movie "Enchanted" and shopping at the mall. Yesterday was "Alvin & The Chipmunks" and shopping at the mall. Today was the Waffle House for breakfast, accompanying me to the barbershop, a couple of intense rounds of Hullabuloo, getting their nails did (my daughter has a small Christmas tree painted on her big toe nails), whipping up some chocolate milkshakes, and baking some cookies out of her friend's Christmas Cookies Cookbook.

Imagine the division of labor between 6- and 7-year old Montessori School students while trying to modify a recipe on the fly, successfully mixing all of the ingredients, facilitating the construction of candy canes made of dough, and then baking one batch of cookies. One breaks the eggs, while the other mixes them in a bowl. One measures the flour, while the other measures the sugar. I added the peppermint extract to the recipe, so that the cookies will taste more like a real candy cane.

The girls didn't appreciate the final product (it was more fun making them and they didn't look enough like a candy cane to them), but my wife and I really enjoyed the cookies. They are buttery, light, with a hint of almond and peppermint in each bite. I'll have a few tonight with a glass of milk after the girls are tucked into bed.

plezWorld Candy Cane Cookie recipe:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon red food coloring

Beat together sugar and margarine until creamy with an electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract; set aside. Mix flour and baking powder; stir into butter & sugar mixture. Divide dough in halves: mix almond extract to one half, mix peppermint extract and food coloring with the other half. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Divide each half into 32 pieces; (and here comes the hard part) roll each into a 5-inch rope. Twist together one red and one plain rope and bend end to form candy canes. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container. Makes 2-1/2 dozen candy canes.

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring!

"Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis Blow

"Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis Blow

As released by Mercury Records in 1979

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house...

Hold Up! That's played out!

Don't you get me all that jive
About things you wrote before I was alive
'Cause this ain't 1823
Ain't even 1970

Now I'm the guy named Kurtis Blow
And Christmas is one thing I know
So every year, just about this time
I celebrate it with a rhyme

Gonna shake it, gonna bake it, gonna make it good
Gonna rock shock rock through your neighborhood
Gonna ring it, gonna sing it till it's understood
My rap's about to happen
Like the knee you was slappin
Or the toe you been tappin' on a hunk of wood

'Bout a red-suited dude, with a friendly attitude
And a sleigh full of goodies for the people on the block
Got a long white beard, maybe looks kind of weird
And if you ever seen him he could give a quite shock

Now people let me tell ya about last year
When the dude came flying over here
Well the hawk was out, the snow's on the ground,
Folks stayed in to party down

The beat was thumping on the block,
And I was dancing in my socks

And the drummer played at a solid pace

And a taste of the bass was in my face

And the guitar player laid down a heavy layer of the funky chunky rhythm of the disco beat

And the guy with the 88
Started to participate
And I could sure appreciate it sound so sweat

We were all in the mood so we had a little food
And a joke, and a smoke, and a little bit of wine
When I thought I heard a hoof on top of the roof
Could it be or was it me? I was feeling super fine

So I went to the attic where I thought heard the static
On a chance that the prance was somebody breaking in
But the noise on the top was a reindeer clop
Just a tricky St. Nick so I let the sucker in

He was rolly, he was poly, and not the holy moly
You got a lot of whiskers on your chinny, chin, chin
He was loud, he was proud of the hairy little crowd
On the point of the door where the skin should've been

Get's cool for a fool throwin' out a merry yule
For a day on sleigh where the cold winds blow
So the beard maybe cleared but I never have it cheered
'Cause it's warm in the storm when it's ten below

I said, "You're right it's cold tonight,
Can you stop for a drop before you go?"
He said, "Why not? If the music's hot,
And I'll chance a dance beneath the mistletoe."

So he went downstairs and forgot his cares
And he rocked the spot and danced like a pro
And every young girl tried to rock his world
But he boogie oogie oogied till he had to go

And before he went this fine old gent
Finding gifts went sift through his big red bag
In the top for the bottom he reached in and got 'em
Had toys for boys and a girl's glad rag

And the grownups got some presents too
A new TV and a stere-u.
A new Seville 'bout as blue as the sky
The best that money couldn't buy

'Cause money could never ever buy the feelin
The one that comes from not concealin'
The way you feel about your friends
And this is how the story ends

The dude he heads back at the pole
Up north where everything is cold
But if he were right here tonight
He'd say "Merry Christmas! And to all--a good night!"

~~~~~ RAPPIN' BLOW, PART 2 ~~~~~

I see that its not clear,
For you good buddy so clean out your ears,
So listen very closely while I pop my game,
'Cause my names in the Hall of Fame

The K-U-R, the T-I-S,
The first is the best I must confess
The B-L-O and the W
Makes you wanna catch the boogaloo flu

Now, If your name is Annie
Get up off your fannie
If your name is Clyde,
Get off your backside
If you name is Pete,
You don't need a seat

'Cause i'm Kurtis Blow and i'm on the go
I'm rocking to the beat in stere-ery-oh!

Now just throw your hands in the air
And wave 'em like you just don't care.
And if your ready like freddie to rock real steady ,
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"

Young ladies, all the ladies in the house say, "Owww"
And you don't stop, come on, come on, come on, let me see you rock.

Ah get down and stop messing around
When Kurtis Blow is in your town
I'm Kurtis Blow on the microphone
A place called Harlem was my home

I was rocking one day, it started to shake
It sound to me a-like a earthquake
I packed my bags, I said goodbye
I kissed my woman, and I started to fly

I came to Earth by a meteorite
To rock you all on the mic
So just kick off your shoes, let your fingers pop
Kurtis Blow's just about ready to rock

Now people in the back, if you're not the whack, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

People in the front, if you want to bump, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

People in the middle, if you want to wiggle, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

And people on the side, if you want to slide, say:
"Don't stop the body rock!"

Now a preacher or a teacher or a e-lec-tri-cian
A fighter, or a writer, or a po-li-ti-cian
The man with the key to your ignition
Kurtis Blow is competition

Young ladies, shock the house
Yes, the young ladies, shock the house

A-just throw your hands in the air
And wave them like you just don't care

If you're really, really ready to rock this house this morning
Somebody say, "Oh yeah!"

Somebody scream

KURTIS BLOW AD LIB & 70's ERA PARTY CHANTS

plez sez: quite possibly the GREATEST christmas song ever?!? quite possibly the GREATEST dance hit ever?!? ok, it is easily the GREATEST christmas song that you can dance to!!!

it is a fact that this was the FIRST rap single ever released by a major record label! kurtis blow and his two producers took this song to Mercury Records, who signed him to a 2-single deal, under the condition that if both singles were successful, he would get an album deal. this was the first single, and it did very well. the second single was "The Breaks," and it became the first rap song to be certified as a gold record, selling over 500,000 copies. kurtis got the album deal and became the first rapper signed to a major label. his first album contained the second part of "Christmas Rappin'," the party part with was released as "Rappin' Blow, Part 2."

plezWorld was in high school and had a party at my house during the christmas break. i remember that my parents' house was packed, cars were all over the front lawn, and my oldest brother hooked me up with some "punch" and one of his frat brothers played the part of the dj. this song had just been released and it was the ONLY song that we played at the party... over and over and over! it was such a JAM, that we didn't want to listen to any of the other records! those were the days when you could throw a house party with only one or two records.

it's funny, but this single (which was a 12" single) is probably still in the record player at my parents' house.

NOTE: the sugar hill gang's "rapper's delight" was released earlier in the year by sugar hill records, which was not a major label at the time.


["christmas rappin'" info courtesy of SongFacts.]

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Wikipedia provides a good explanation for the twelve days of Christmas... which begins on Christmas evening (December 25) and continues every night until the Epiphany:

The Twelve Days of Christmas and the associated evenings of those twelve days (Twelve-tide), are the festive days beginning the evening of Christmas Day (December 25) through the morning of Epiphany (January 6). The associated evenings of the twelve days begin on the evening before the specified day. Thus, the first night of Christmas is December 25–26, and Twelfth Night is January 5–6. This period is also known as Christmastide.

Over the centuries, differing churches and sects of Christianity have changed the actual traditions, time frame, and their interpretations. St. Stephen's Day, for example, is December 26 in the Western Church and December 27 in the Eastern Church. December 26 is Boxing Day in the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies; December 28 is Childmas or the Feast of the Innocents. Currently, the 12 days and nights are celebrated in widely varying ways around the world. For example, some give gifts only on Christmas night, some only on Twelfth Night, and some each of the 12 nights. What remains constant is celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25th, and a period of twelve days and nights following leading to Epiphany.

As with just about everything, there is also an urban legend that is associated with the "Twelve Days of Christmas":

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the [Catholic] faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."

The other symbols mean the following:

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

plez sez: growing up in suburban new york in the early 70's didn't afford much time to delve into the true meaning of the twelve days of christmas... until tonight, i thought the twelve days of christmas ended on christmas day!

i just remember the fun we had in school singing the (now) annoyingly repetitious song, which is about as annoyingly repetitious as "crank dat soulja boy" or "chocolate rain."

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you from plezWorld... and a partridge in a pear tree!

O Holy Night

Patti Labelle and the Perri Sisters
deliver a rousing rendition of the Christmas standard:



The reason for the season.

Merry Christmas, ya'll!

Every Year, Every Christmas

Some Luther Vandross to put me in the mood for Christmas:

...every year, every Christmas...
Merry Christmas, ya'll!!!

Christmas Cheer?!?

What follows is an actual e-mail message from work (I've only changed the names of the family members, all colors and emphasis were in the original e-mail message) about our group's Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program which operates in a major northeastern city. Our offices are located out in the "Vanilla Suburbs" with the families being picked from the "Chocolate City." Somehow, this program was designed to make "us" feel good about helping our down-trodden brethren in the city.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED to the Adopt-a-Family program!!! Because of your generosity, we reached our goal of $1,000!! Initially the family of a single mother and six children only requested the necessities: bed linens, bath towels, dishes, etc., but we also wanted to make their holiday a fun and cheerful one, so we asked what each of the children wanted. Last night we used the donations to purchase gifts for the family as a whole and for each individual child. Below is a list of what "Kat" and her children, JaMarcus, 19; Clara, 18; Jasmine, 14; Tiara, 13; Kalik, 5; and Mary Ann, 4 will be receiving this holiday season!!

8 Sets of Towels (hand, wash, and bath)
5 Sets of Bedding (comforter,
sheets, pillow cases)
3 DVDs
3 CDs
2 Sets of Dishes
2 Portable
CD Players & Batteries
2 Cabbage Patch Kids
2 Barbies
2 Beanie
Babies
2 Sets of Playdough
1 Sweater Set
1 Pair of Sneakers
1
Caboodle with Makeup Kits
1 Candyland Game

…and 1 20 Inch TV/DVD Player Combo!!!!

We will be wrapping these gifts today at 11:30 and delivering them on Thursday. Thanks again for helping this family have a memorable holiday!

plez sez: Now, I'm not trying to be ugly or a Scrooge, but does anyone (other than me) see something wrong with this picture?!?

I see something wrong on a number of fronts:
(1) In even the best of times, it would seem that having 6 children would be quite a burden on a family with two middle-class incomes. Now throw in the fact that you are a single mother with a period of 15 years between the first and last child, one would think that this "family" now poses quite a burden on our society. Since this group in my company is providing them with Christmas gifts, I have no doubt that this family also relies on the city, county, and state to provide them with other sustenance to survive. I'm not naming any names, but SOMEONE needs to have her tubes tied - real tight!

(2) I can see asking the children (aged 4 to 14) for their Christmas Wish List, but why in the heck are an 18 year old and 19 year old lined up for a handout? And why are we giving it to them? I will bet that at least one of those DVDs and at least one of those CD Players are for the older "children."

(3) What kind of message are we sending to these young adults and teenagers? Go ahead, be irresponsible and have as many babies as you want and someone else will take care of you!

(4) Who doubts that Ms. "Kat" won't have another mouth to feed by next Christmas?

(5) I love the idea of providing essentials: towels, bedding, dishes, etc. during this time of Christmas Cheer, but why are we buying so many non-essential items: numerous toys and dolls, 2 CD players, DVDs, and a TV/DVD Player combo? Since we are in the northeast and we're heading into the winter, why didn't this family ask for more clothes for the bitter cold weather: coats, hats, more than one sweater set, gloves, mittens, scarves, boots, etc?!? Why didn't this family ask for some books or supplies for school?!?

(6) And lastly and most troubling, the "haves" at my job can assuage their wavering guilt (i.e. White Guilt) by making a trifling and token contribution to the "have-nots" while snickering in private about the entire sorry lot that lack the education and resources to pull themselves out of poverty. When reading about the travesty that is this adopted family, the uninformed "haves" can quickly fall back on any of a number of stereotypes: lazy, shiftless, shameless, uneducated (you should notice that no books or school implements were on the Wish Lists), ignorant, poor, welfare dependent, fatherless (who wants to wager that these 6 kids were fathered by no less than 2 different men?), lack of self-control and impulse-control... and the list goes on and on!

NOTE: I am no longer working in this group, but I still receive correspondence because I'm still on the e-mail distribution list for the group. I did not make a contribution.


And after reading the e-mail in question, plez's wife wrote: ...you have to ask why she's still buying stuff for the 18 and 19 year old. They should understand her situation. But maybe they don't realize it's as bad as it REALLY is since she keeps having babies.

I'm done... just call me, Ebenezer!

Oh yeah, Merry Christmas, ya'll!