Christine Ebersole, Scott Frankel and Jeff Blumenkrantz triple treat!

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 6/3/08 at 5:35pm

Hosted by Jeff Blumenkrantz, the BMI podcast (www.bmi.com/fridayatfour) is a great way to catch up on great new songs and singers. The last episode of the season is unusually good and juicy as it features guest interviewer Scott Frankel talking to Jeff and Christine Ebersole.

Christine sings the delightful Man in the Moon written by Jeff for the tantalizing BETTY BOOP musical. As Jeff explained it, the project was shopped around to various composers (including Andrew Lippa) all of whom had to submit songs on spec. Although Jeff won the assignment, the musical was sadly abandoned. Several of the them were included in Jeff's last Songbook concert at Birdland some months ago, and so perfectly did they catch the droll whimsy and surrealism of the pre-code Fleischer cartoons, making on especially regret that BOOP pooped.

A bubbly Christine then chatted about her singular daily vocal exercises ("I've been told not to share that with too many people"), her status as a gay icon, her new CD with Billy Stritch, Sunday In New York, and her upcoming projects: the A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC with Mary Louise Wilson at Symphony Hall is Boston (June 10, 11, 12) and Tanglewood in July, her Lifetime TV pilot Libertyville where she stars as a divorced mother of a 24-year daughter, both of who live with Christine's dad, played by Harve Presnell, and yes...another new musical headed for Broadway!!! :)

GREY GARDENS fans will rejoice at Scott's news that over 20 regional production of my favorite musical of last season are scheduled as is a Japanese production (in Japanese) for Fall 2009.

I was delighted to hear that Christine is as addicted to YouTube as I am. Her first posted video (as of today) is terrific - a private music video done on her 1988 Honeymoon and co-starring her husband Bill. Check it out!
Christine & Bill preach it!