A Twosome With Mancini, Anita Swings With Stan, Plus A Oui-Oui Affirmative Secret Song!

Behold the glamor! Few Hollywood actresses were as beautiful, much less as talented, as Lee Remick. As a wee li'l tot, I first discovered her in the original "Omen" movie (her blue eyes popping open in horror is an indelible image). Only later did I learn that she made an enduring mark on the Broadway stage - in a cult Stephen Sondheim musical, thankyouverymuch - and starred in countless movies. Her best, I think, was Blake Edwards' "Days Of Wine And Roses" (an absolute must if you haven't seen it), which boasted an Oscar-winning score by Henry Mancini.

Crazy Japanese Kids, Shirley On B'way, Plus Julie And Friends Go Cha-Cha And A Roux Recipe Secret Song!

In the late 90's, I was all over Pizzicato 5 - or P5, for those in the know - a gleefully screwy Japanese group that was labeled, in America, at least, as "electro," though I liked the label I once heard a DJ give them, "electro fizzy-pop," because I thought it best described their freakishly happy music.

Thelma Lays Down the Law, Julie At Least Wants Coffee, Plus A Gaggle Of Femmes And A Coming Change Secret Song!

If I were a waitress, I'd like to wait on Thelma Jones. Look how happy she is to see me (and, yes, the flower is for yours truly). Miss Thelma, as you may know, is a singer who can perform in just about any genre - though she's most noted for her R&B recordings - but I like her best when she does the blues, baby, blues.

Dorothy Jams, Ann's Big Blast, Judy Goes On (And On), Plus Gobs Of Gershwin And An Isolated Time Secret Song!

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A Deluge Of Divas, Hess' Devil, Dreamy Music And - Hot-cha! - Here Comes Liza, Plus A Jinx-You're-It Secret Song!

Sometimes too much is just too delicious, like the name Anna Maria Alberghetti. Ahhhhh. Doesn't it just slip off your tongue? An actress and an operatic singer, Anna, pictured above, is one of many divas crowding this delightful collection, a Cheerfully Delectable Exclusive! just for you.

Jazz For A Summer Day With Mary & Anita, Plus Gene & His Drums, Kenneth & Judee And A Sissy-Walk Secret Song!

Does music have a season? If it does, then jazz is meant for summer. The heat, the humidity, a chill band, a fresh vocalist. And the city for jazz? San Francisco must have something in the water, because so many terrific jazz vocalists seem to hail from there. Case in point, Mary Stallings, born in 1930, who almost immediately made a name for herself by singing at Frisco jazz clubs while still in her teens.

Summer Breezes In With Classic Broadway Soul, Riveting Ryuichi, A Mammoth Serving Of Lively Lounge, Plus A Leprechaun-Land Secret Song!

Summer is here! Hooray! Or to put it another way, can you believe I'm going to "Godzilla" this weekend? I know, right? That's when you know estivo is upon us, as the Italians say, when giggly, dumb-dumb movies are populating the world's movie houses and stories like this are all over the Internet. But what, you ask, does that have to do with the lovely ladies above?

Vince Experiments, Nancy Times Two, Plus Vicki Restored And A Double-Blonde Secret Song!

What a fine day you've chosen to stop by! It's a day of discovery and innovation, which means that genres are mixed and matched, comedians go country-pop and mass-market artists take wild risks. It's craziness, I tell you, sheer craziness.

Case in point is Vince Guaraldi, a happily accessible jazz artist who decided to get funky in 1971's "Oaxaca," a Wild White Boy Cheerful Exclusive!

Super-Rare Judy, Monica's Jazzy Love, Plus Orbiting Knockers And A Dead Pop Star Secret Song!

Judy, Judy, Judy. She's still relevant after all these years, isn't she? True, our modern age has definitely given us some wonderfully talented pop music train wrecks - Whitney Houston being one of the few who counts, because she actually had talent, unlike other train wrecks - yet there's nothing quite like Judy, the first of her kind in the 20th century.

Kane 'Boop-A-Doops,' Billie Restored, Plus Miyoshi's Best And A Hip-Swingin' Secret Song!

The Great Depression and Betty Boop, forever intertwined. I'm willing to wager that she's still recognized the world over - like Mickey Mouse and Coca-Cola - which isn't much of a stretch, if you think about it. After all, who hasn't seen her, either on keychains and pins, or posters and greeting cards or other doo-hickeys? Even if you've never watched a Betty Boop cartoon (and most people born after 1970 haven't), you've at least heard her high-pitched "Boop-boop-a-doop!" catchphrase. 

Part of what made Betty so irresistible was her high-pitched, squeaky singing. Several actresses voiced her throughout the years, but only one actually inspired her creation. It happened in 1927. Vaudevillian Helen Kane was in the midst of launching her solo singing career when, one night, she improvised scat lyrics - and yes, they were "boop-boop-a-doop." This launched both her singing and movie career. And Betty Boop. 

But Helen was not chosen to voice Betty.

Hawaii Wicky Wacky, Anita in Japan, Plus Sondheim Dipped In Jazz And A Luminous Topiary Secret Song!

The face says "wassup," the arms say "gun show," the picture says "Made in Hawaii." And so he is. It's Jason Mamoa. Yes, it's true, your favorite "Games Of Thrones" (and "Baywatch") actor was born in the Aloha state (along with several more Hollywood stars and a certain politician). Which is just a roundabout way of saying that Hawaii sure seems like a fun place (I've never been). It even sounds like fun.

Or at least it does in this terrific Lei-It-On-Me Cheerful Exclusive!, "Hawaii On Broadway," a somewhat misleading title since this swingin' compilation brings together stars from the pop music world and movies, too. 

Mama Feels So Good, Robbins' Remains, Romanthony's World, Plus Irene's Love And A Girly Fun Secret Song!

Some things keep coming around, like Lyn Collins. If you were born in the 1980's, you may know her, or at least you've probably heard her, because her 1972 hit "Think About It" has been heavily sampled by an entire roster of hip-hop stars, like Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock in their 1988 smash "It Takes Two," Snoop Dogg's 1993 single "Ain't No Fun," and Kanye West's 2010 song "So Appalled." And that's only naming a few.

Bev's Coffee Jazz, A Fantastic Plastic Party With A Panther, Three Terrif Sisters, Plus a Big Ol' Yellow Brick Of A Secret Song!

Earthquake, earthquake! We had another shake-shake-shake here, but it was fairly mild compared to the last one (since we weren't near the epicenter), which means there was no need to clean up, no need to vacuum. But it did make me think of Jeanette MacDonald - and gosh, how brave she was in "San Francisco" - and the Golden Gate Bridge and beatnik coffee shops and the always delightful 1960s and 70s-era jazz chanteuse Bev Kelly, who recorded several LPs in good ol' Fog City (see how neatly that all fits together?). 

The Weather's Fair Again, Plus A Single Abel, Diahann's Beat, Filthy Jazz And A Green Frog Secret Song!

Is the weather nice 'n' easy where you are? No more snow 'n' such? Oh, I hope so (we just had an earthquake here) (but it was small, so no biggie). Spring is skipping around the corner, which means it's the perfect time to listen to songs from the most cynical Hollywood movie musical ever made.

Dietrich's Live, Ernestine's Most, Plus Burt's Bare Sharky And A Douche-Hat Secret Song!

Dietrich. No one delivers the look of I-have-absolutely-no-fucks-not-a-damn-to-give better than her. Behold: the eyebrows arched in permanent whatever; the half-lidded eyes that look you up and down and say, "Meh;" the cigarette barely balanced in her gloved hands - because she just doesn't care if it drops and burns you. She. Just. Doesn't. Care. And yet we still love her, don't we? I know I do. 

Carol Front, Back & Heart, Dakota Live, The Mysterious Ruth, Plus Naughty Movie Girls And An Indigo Fang Secret Song!

Carol Lawrence, the original "Maria" in Broadway's "West Side Story," is a strange brew. She's all butterflies and rainbows above, yet below, she's pure sass and ass.

Della Delivers, Sheila's First Time, Plus Bossa Nova Boogie And A Ghost-Of-Etta Secret Song!

Vogue, vogue, vogue! Della Reese gives good face. And did you know? She's the daughter of a Native American mother and an African-American father. As a child, she was active in her church choir - and just as religiously, accompanied her mother to the movies on a weekly basis.

Dakota Swings, Bertrand Grooves, More Colo(u)rs, Plus Jo Ann Lip Syncs And A Busted Ringer Secret Song!

Oh, my. Dakota Staton can't believe how bee-yooooo-tiful she is. And really, who but Dakota, a masterful "song stylist" from the 50's and 60's, could have released "Dynamic," a Ka-pow Cheerful Exclusive! Just listen as she rips into each song, like "Anything Goes," for one.

Kay On Stage, Esther Trips Out , Plus Roslyn's Nails, Ora's Blues And A Summer Month Secret Song!

More Kay Starr! Exclusively pour vous! Doesn't she look great wearing her something-or-other above? Is it a bathing suit? A kicky summer outfit for tooling around town? Whatever it is, she looks swell. Meanwhile, 1950's "Kay Starr On Stage" is yet another Kay release for all you Kay complete-ists out there (and I know I'm not the only one).

Billie Times Six, Songs By Sylvia, Plus A Jazzy 'Lady' And A Dreamy Girl Secret Song!

Is Billie photo-bombing that vase of flowers or is it the other way around? Regardless, it's one of the few color pictures of "Lady Day," as they called her, so I had to use it. Everybody loves Billie Holiday, and hopefully, we're now far enough away from her heyday to appreciate her genius anew.