The Yum Factor--Michael Bublé

by Chiron O'Keefe

Along with writing books and penning articles for Pop Culture Divas and my own blog, The Write Soul, I'm also a musician. Lately, hubby and I have been working out some tunes with an amazing bassist, name of Richard Cole, and a woman with exquisite voice, Anna Christensen. (I promise to get a more current photo of me with my 52-reissue Telecaster. Sweet!!)

Saturday nights, I'm known for playing a mean rhythm guitar (last week we worked out some rocking surf music—"Wipe Out" and "Pipeline"—and also nailed the harmonies for "Pretty Woman"). Late, late, late, after our fingers are blistered but our souls are still on fire, we often stumble over to my computer with wine at hand. My fingers are still nimble enough to search out music videos to entertain until dawn's early light.

Often, I accidentally discover new (at least to me) music while doing my weekly grocery shopping on Friday. Yup, that's me tuning into the local radio station when a song comes on both unknown and intriguing. That's also me trying to scribble down whatever lyrics I can remember at the first red light I hit. One week, I caught the fabulous voice of Michael Bublé. Oh, yum. You can bet I did a search that Saturday night, much to my everlasting delight.

Canadian like our very own Joanna D'Angelo, this crooner has made his mark by warbling out both delicious versions of some very cool standards and his own tasty compositions. A couple of weeks ago, I heard that one of my other faves, Jon Hamm, had hosted Saturday Night Live with Bublé as guest. *gasp* This boy proved to have the chops for comedy (along with the ever-amazing Jon), which led to this week's blog. Ladies and Gentleman, Michael Bublé!

To whet your appetite, let's begin with his live performance on Saturday Night Live. Here Michael performs his hit, "Just Haven't Met You Yet".



After a yummy appetizer, I do believe we're ready for some light entertainment, perhaps accompanied by some delicious bubbly. *wink* On Jon's first SNL appearance, he introduced us to his own product, "Jon Hamm's Jon Ham". He's expanded his horizons with an unexpected collaboration with Mr. Bublé. Here's "Hamm and Bublé":



Side Note—this really was one of the best SNL episodes I've seen, much to my surprise. If you have the time and inclination you can catch the whole show on Hulu.com! Here's the whole show, Season 35, Episode 13 with Host, Jon Hamm:



Ah yes, now's the time for a little mood music. Come and Sway With Me:



He really has The Voice. Plus, a delightful sense of humor and the much appreciated ability to not take himself too seriously. Here's Michael delivering David Letterman's Top Ten List of Least Popular Musical Standards:



Speaking of standards, here's one of my favorites, a song my dear friend, and fellow Diva, Kathy Holmes also digs, Come Fly With Me:



What a cutie pie! Seriously, this guy is what used to be called a classic Dream Boat. *fans self* Who can resist him? Certainly not Rachael Ray. In this next clip he charms her with an impromptu serenade:


While researching this month's blog article, I found two charming duets.

First, Tony Bennett sings Just in Time with Michael:



Jane Monheit and Michael Buble - I Won't Dance:



I'm going to leave you now with one of my favorite upbeat music standards. Sing it, Michael!

I've Got the World on a String:



Speaking of classic songs, any old favorites that you can't help but love? Do share!

--Chiron O'Keefe
Weekly Motivation for Writers at The Write Soul.

In those spare moments when Chiron isn't singing harmony, playing guitar or watching YouTube, she's perched in front of her computer, pounding the keys and lost in a dreamy world of imagination.