Moments before he accepted the Television Academy's Bob Hope Humanitarian Award from his lovely friend and former hospital co-worker Julianna Margulies last night at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, George Clooney proved once and for all what a truly great humanitarian he is. Mr. Clooney did so by taking time off from saving the world and sleeping with the cast of Modern Family to personally tell me that he "really enjoys those Huffington Post playlists you do." Accordingly, I now demand that we give this saint his own very special Nobel Peace Prize for Playlist Appreciation.
Seriously, it's been a profound -- for me -- honor to work alongside George, Joel Gallen and many other volunteers on America: A Tribute To Heroes and subsequent TV events like most recently, the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. I feel privileged to have witnessed up close just how genuinely dedicated this man really is to the refreshing and even honorable idea that people do something meaningful with the very mixed bag that is modern fame.
In his acceptance speech last night, Clooney spoke of the time he spent years ago with Bob and Dolores Hope and his aunt, the late great Rosemary Clooney, who I once had the pleasure of interviewing in her later years for Vogue magazine. Back then, Rosemary sweetly told me "George is a very nice boy." She also told me that I "would have gotten along famously with Ira," referring to her longtime neighbor Ira Gershwin." Curiously, that's still probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Let it be said, Rosemary Clooney was one fantastic lady.
Last night, Rosemary's hunky/heroic nephew rather elegantly referred back to his time spent singing and talking with the Hopes and his wonderful aunt, pointing out that "They're the best version of the term `celebrity.'" George Clooney went on to say, "It's important to remember how much good can get done because we live in such strange times where bad behavior soaks up all the attention and press, and the people who really need the spotlight -- the Haitians, the Sudanese, people in the Gulf Coast on the 5-year Anniversary, people in Pakistan, they can't get any." I was reminded of something Bob Hope said long ago that still applies: "If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."
Finally, George ended his comments by making a point worth re-running here -- words that to my ears sounded almost like a prayer for redemption from deep within our modern celebrity food chain: "Here's hoping that some very bright person right here in the house -- or at home watching -- can help find a way to keep the spotlight burning on these heartbreaking situations that continue to be heartbreaking long after the cameras go away," he said. "That would be an impressive accomplishment."
Sadly, I'm not bright. So now along with his richly deserved Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, it is my great honor by the nominal power invested in me by this blog, to present George Clooney with his very own uplifted Huffington Post playlist. As always, please add your own redemption songs here for George -- and for the rest of humanity too.
REDEMPTION SONG - Bob Marley & The Wailers
CRUMBS FROM YOUR TABLE - U2
HELP - The Beatles
PEOPLE GET READY - The Impressions
LORD PROTECT MY CHILD - Bob Dylan
LEND A HAND - Jakob Dylan
GOD BLESS THE CHILD - Rosemary Clooney
LUCKY US - Bob Hope with Margaret Whiting
HIGH HOPES - Frank Sinatra
HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART - Al Green
HOW CAN A POOR MAN STAND SUCH TIMES AND LIVE - Bruce Springsteen
LEAN ON ME - Bill Withers
SOMEDAY WE'LL ALL BE FREE - Alicia Keys
HEAVEN HELP US ALL - Stevie Wonder
HELPING HAND - Fats Domino
WHO'S GONNA HELP BROTHER GET FURTHER - Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
LORD HELP US - Tom Jones
HELP SOMEBODY - Maxwell
I CAN HELP - Elvis Presley
EVERYBODY HURTS - R.E.M.
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE - Brad Paisley
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS - Joe Cocker
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME - Brian Wilson
MAN IN THE MIRROR - Michael Jackson
HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT - Kris Kristofferson
WHAT'S GOING ON - Marvin Gaye
DON'T GIVE UP - Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush
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"Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" - Tavares
"Love Hurts" - Nazareth
"Before and After Losing You" - The Fleetwoods
"When You Walk in the Room" - Jackie DeShannon
"A Thousand Stars" - Kathy Young & the Innocents
"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" - Bobby Vee
"Midnight Confessions" - The Grass Roots
"Will You Be Staying After Sunday" - The Peppermint Rainbow
"Up the Ladder to the Roof" - The Supremes
"In and Out of My Life" - Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
"Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)" - The Temptations
"(I Could Never Make) A Better Man Than You" - The Sisters Love
"Brother's Gonna Work It Out" - Willie Hutch
"Put Yourself In My Place" - The Elgins
Thanks
This Land is Your Land....Woody Guthrie
Planewreck at Los Gatos....Woody Guthrie
Lift Every Voice and Sing....traditional African American song
Imagine....John Lennon
Aveynu Shalom Aleychem....traditional Hebrew/Yiddish song
Thanks
More Love – The Dixie Chicks
All About Soul – Billy Joel
Waiting on the World to Change – John Mayer
How to Save a Life – The Fray
We Are One – Buckethead
All You Have Is Your Soul – Tracy Chapman
Whenever God Shines His Light – Van Morrison
Live High – Jason Mraz
Let Love In – The Goo Goo Dolls
Let It Grow – Eric Clapton
http://www.jonmarkstone.com/EIS/eis.html
P.S. And looking at a different kind of redemption, don't forget Neil Diamond's "Stones."
Thanks for reading.
You Can Get It If You Really Want It - Jimmy Cliff
Well you better listen, my sisters and brothers,
'cause if you do you can hear
there are voices still calling across the years.
And they're all crying across the ocean,
and they're cryin across the land,
and they will till we all come to understand.
None of us are free.
None of us are free.
If one of us is chained, none of us are free.
And an inspiring guy to speak with. He revived my soul the one time I had the please of interviewing him.
With Friends: Spirit Of The Great Heart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g48_fqX7KJc
With Savuka: Human Rainbow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRVkV-89OWA
Scatterlings Of Africa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmkaA6cHlxU
Jongosi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNRISFbCfIA
Tough Enough:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9KZ-ILn7LU
With Nelson Mandela: Asimbonanga:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGS7SpI7obY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sghNjGaDbJ0
Waiting For A Miracle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMPRVG2vjx8
Last Night Of The World:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02TUsZzF6es
Use Me While You Can:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TD2ft4KPno
World Of Wonders:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNvVTvxP5vE
Joy Will Find A Way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Tke6sRW_o
Strange Waters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egW0OciZbtM
Because everything truly IS bullsh*it except the Helping Hand
Thanks
PS If I Had A Rocket Launcher is one of my favorite popular song titles ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alT19_AzXFU
I just thought of this song and had to add it.
"There was nobody anywhere, better than the "George" of Hearts!"
Likewise.
He also covered "Wichita Lineman" beautifully and still plays it in concert
Crying - Pink Floyd
Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand - Diana Ross
From A Distance - Bette Midler
Laughter - Bruce Cockburn
Comes A Time - Neil Young
True story: My husband and I went to a Chilliwack concert a couple of years ago. We arrived at the theatre, took our seats, and one thing utterly baffled me. I nudged my husband and said: "Why are all these OLD people here?"
No sooner did the words leave my mouth when I realized - Uh oh! I guess WE'RE old too.
Then last week we went with our family to a Valdy concert here in town. I was dancing with my granddaughters. Again I was baffled as I looked around and saw that nobody else was up dancing - all middle aged people relaxing in their lawn chairs.
When my daughter was talking on the phone to my mother the day before the concert, my mother asked her who we were going to see. My daughter replied: "I don't know - some old guy mummy used to like. I think his name is something-osaurus."
Valdy has a new fan, though. He took the time to talk to my granddaughter, take a photo with her (oh yeah, I guess I snuck into the picture too, he he) and spontaneously break into a children's song for her when she was dancing right in front of the stage. That's why Canadians still adore him.
"A Change Is Gonna Come," Sam Cooke