BOTB RESULTS: 2024, DEC. 15 (Or, SIMON & GARFUNKEL Versus FRANK SINATRA)

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My sincere thanks to everyone who came by to listen and vote in my BOTB's Battle Of The Booze contest which took place HERE. It was between Simon & Garfunkel's 'Hazy Shade Of Winter' & Frank Sinatra's 'It Was A Very Good Year'. It was a very good Battle and I had fun foolin' around in the comment section.

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The contest went back & forth, and with 6 votes in it was tied up at 3 to 3. 

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As much as I dig Simon & Garfunkel in general, and 'Hazy Shade...' specifically, that Sinatra recording contains oodles & oodles of saudade (or what I refer to as goldenshadow - a term I invented for that feeling). So, my own "bote" went to Sinatra, leaving us with 2024's final Final Result looking like this:

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FINAL RESULT: 

Simon & Garfunkel = 7 votes 

Frank Sinatra = 5 votes 

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Therefore, S&G will advance to the eventual Battle Of The Booze playoff rounds. For Sinatra, it was a very good year but... it's essentially over now. 

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Mary (MMQE) of 'Jingle Jangle Jungle' will be rejoining us BOTBers on January 1st, 2025. And I will also be back with a boozy 'Margarita Day' battle on that same date. Please return here for that goot stuffs. Until then...

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I Wish You A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year (to coin an expression). 

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~ D-FensDogG 

The Original Christmas Canine

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2024, DEC. 15 (Or, SINATRA Versus SIMON & GARFUNKEL)

Santa Badenov sez, "Brrr! Shrinkage!"

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Welcome to my last BOTB's Battle Of The Booze installment of 2024. I'm thinking about Winter and The End Of Another Year. 

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I've always been a big fan of Simon & Garfunkel's music in general. However, their song 'Hazy Shade Of Winter' will always be intertwined with my memories of the late > Linda Haley (a.k.a. Anniee). In 2011, I wrote this about her:

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I’m rather jaded ... so it really requires something quite out of the ordinary for me to sit up and take notice. And then just when you feel that no one can much impress you anymore, you meet someone who, by the force of their personality, almost demands that you get to know them better, that you make the necessary effort to develop and maintain a friendship with that person. In other words: One day you’re surfing your little strip of Blogosphere Beach when Anniee enters.

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And, lucky for us, 'Hazy Shade Of Winter' includes a reference to booze:

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Funny how my memory skips

Looking over manuscripts

Of unpublished rhyme

Drinking my vodka and lime

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My Pa liked Frank Sinatra's singing, but my Ma greatly loved it; while I was very slow in recognizing any distinctly notable talent in his vocals. For many years, he just sounded like most of the other crooners to me. 

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However, even before I came to appreciate Sinatra's singing, I always did really embrace his recordings of 'Winchester Cathedral' and 'It Was A Very Good Year'. 

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Luckily for us, that second song includes these lyrics:

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But now the days are short

I'm in the autumn of the year

And now I think of my life as vintage wine from fine old kegs

From the brim to the dregs

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So, it's "vodka and lime" versus "vintage wine". Please vote in the comment section for the song you prefer, and then please visit all of the other BOTBers and drop your two cents in their Battles. I'll return here on or about Dec. 22nd with my own vote and the final final tally. 

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HAZY SHADE OF WINTER 

by Simon & Garfunkel 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSd4QJBEMvk

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IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR 

by Frank Sinatra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBxCafXgPL8

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Bless & Be Blessed!!

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~ D-FensDogG 

The Christmas Canine

BOTB RESULTS: 2024, DEC. 1 (Or, CLIFF RICHARD Versus SCROOGE & A CHRISTMAS SPIRIT)

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BOTB's Battle Of The Booze contest took place HERE, and it was between the songs 'Mistletoe & Wine' and 'I Like Life' from the 1970 musical 'Scrooge'.
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I was determined to use 'I Like Life' because, secretly, I was thinking of this BOTB installment more as a promotional campaign for 'Scrooge' than an actual musical contest. However, I had a heck of a time trying to find a competing Christmas song that mentioned some form of booze. There were some silly novelty songs I came across that were essentially about getting laminated (a.k.a. intoxicated) during the Christmas season. I don't do that, and I didn't want to use a song like that.
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Finally I came across the Cliff Richard song which I genuinely liked. What I appreciated about it was how it lyrically combined sentiments about Christ, the King of kings, with some of the more secular aspects of the Christmas season. In that sense, it kind of reminded me of the song 'Here Comes Santa Claus' :
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Here comes Santa Claus
Right down Santa Claus Lane
He doesn't care if you're rich or poor
He loves you just the same
Santa knows that we're all God's children
And that makes everything right
So fill your hearts with Christmas cheer
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight
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Nevertheless, I'm sure everyone realized that my own vote would be going to the song from 'Scrooge', which is hands down my favorite filmed version of 'A Christmas Carol' (it is so much fun!) 
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And Scrooge made one of the all-time great BOTB comebacks. At one point in the Battle, 'I Like Life' was getting beaten 5-1 by 'Mistletoe And Wine'. But the contest ended up looking like this:

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FINAL TALLY
'Mistletoe And Wine' = 6 votes
'I Like Life' = 7 votes
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Hokey-Smoke & I'll be dogged! What I was thinking of as being mostly a movie recommendation turned into as good a BOTB installment as is possible!
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My most sincere "THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" to everybody who took the time to visit 'n' vote. Y'all made this a terrific Battle Of The Booze contest!
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Barring any unforeseen catastrophes, I intend to return here on December 15th with my final Battle of the year, and I hope YOU will return here, too. Until then...
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God bless us, every one!
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~ Stephen
The Christmas Canine

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2024, DEC. 1 (Or, MISTLETOE & WINE Versus "THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS")

'Scrooge' quotes on the back of my bedroom door.

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WELCOME to my Christmas edition of Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze! From my very earliest memories up to this present day, I have always loved everything about CHRISTMAS! In fact, I consider Christmas to be Winter's only redeeming quality. I adored Christmas even before I knew "the Reason for the season" .

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Christmas -- I love the music, the lights, the candy & cards, the trees & decorations, the egg nog ekker nog, hot buttered rum, excited kids & harried adults. Believe it or not, I even love the "commercialism" and the stockings hung behind the bar with care. I'm crazy about the old school Xmas movies and the animated  children's TV specials. Helck, I even love fruitcake and the dogs barking 'Jingle Bells'.

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I have a soft spot in my heart for Santa Claus riding a No(r)elco razor through the fake snow; and this is still the greatest version of 'Carol Of The Bells' that I've ever seen:

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In 1987, I worked for U.C.L.A.'s Parking Service Department. One night in December, I walked into base and found two of my best friends, [link> Lonnie & Kathleen (later known as "The Countess"), loudly singing some song... 

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"Thank you very much! 

Thank you very much! 

That's the nicest thing that anyone's 

ever done for me!"

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The Fabulous Countess & The Famous Cartoonist (Lonnie)

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I waited until they were finished singing and then I asked, "What's that from?" Their mouths hung open a minute or two, while they looked at me as if I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. And then, simultaneously, they both shouted, "SCROOGE!!" I had seen versions of 'A Christmas Carol', but I had never seen 'Scrooge' (1970) starring Albert Finney. It was a musical and, at that time, I was unknowingly burdened by the astoundingly incorrect belief that I disliked musicals. 

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Well, Kathleen (The Countess) made certain that I saw 'Scrooge' that month and I was bowled over by how much I enjoyed it! (Some great acting; fantastic sets; terrific music; Holiday humor, and probably the most joyful ending of any film I've ever seen!)

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Every December I watch 'Scrooge' and 'It's A Wonderful Life' (the colorized version, "thank you very much!"). Both of them are amongst my all-time Top 10 Favorite Movies. Which one do I love the most? The one I happen to be watching when the question is asked is the one I love the most!

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It's now officially the Christmas season - a time that relates to Love & Miracles - so let's listen to a couple of songs that mention miracle water wine. 

Yeah, wine not? 

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MISTLETOE & WINE  

by Cliff Richard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrmeNIxpEPM

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My Italian "Major Award" Christmas sweater.

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I  LIKE  LIFE 

by Scrooge & The Ghost Of Christmas Present 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpTxBuo8zno

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Please vote for which song you preferred (regardless of the videos), and then please visit all of the other BOTBers and cast your two cents in their Battles. 

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I intend to return here with the Final Tally on or about  December 8th. (When I will also reveal my two Tiny Tim Christmas traditions!!)

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy