And in Today's News ...

Forgive me, B-L ....

But we briefly interrupt our "Current and Clever Critter Contest" for some Current Events. (As in all things are somehow connected to I SPY.)

I read today that Phil Spector, the very strange music mogul, was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for murder. I've been following his story off and on over the past few weeks. During that time Carol Connors name kept popping up.

Ms. Connors is the talented songwriter who co-wrote "Rocky" and many other songs. She started her career as part of the group the "Teddy Bears" with Phil Spector, who she had known since junior high school. One of their big hits was "To Know Him Is To Love Him."







Here's a rather long, but interesting interview/article about her past (which we've mentioned earlier), but seems fitting to bring up again here.

http://www.spectropop.com/CarolConnors/index.htm



In the article, she mentions:

By the way, you do know that I co-wrote probably one of the most important love songs of all times...

PP: 'With You I'm Born Again'...

CC: It's one of my favorite songs of all times.

CC: Just as a little history, I wrote it for my love affair with Robert Culp. I was going with him at the time, and I wanted Robert to feel that way about me - and he did - and I felt that way about him. It was from a film called Fast Break, the Gabe Kaplan film; it was just a little melody in the film that David Shire wrote. In fact, 'Halfway Home', which is on the new Maureen McGovern record, was a song David and I wrote for the last William Holden film, The Earthlings. We both wrote music and lyrics for that; on 'With You I'm Born Again' I wrote the lyrics. Suzanne DePasse [from Motown] - Berry Gordy dumped the project in her lap because the album was on Motown - so we did. On a New Year's Day, we recorded it with Billy Preston and Syreeta.



Carol Connors & Robert Culp in the 70s




I've always loved the song "With You I Am Born Again" ... and hey, how very nice to have a classic long song written just for you.
... Our man Culp certainly has a way about him!!



This is from December 1979 - Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright



And the direct link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqTq8gckf8E



For more information on Ms. Connors, if you are interested ...

http://www.carolconnors.com/bio.htm
http://www.carolconnors.com/
and her IMDB listing - with several more current photos under the PHOTO GALLERY link.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0175486/


and this from another article mentioned on her website ....

http://www.carolconnors.com/carolshome.htm

"Connors said that when she originally got the call about Rocky, it was a small film being done on a $980,000 budget. The music budget was only $20,000. Connors said her father, a big boxing fan, was instrumental in her decision to accept the offer. I said, dad, Ive been offered a film about a boxer and he said whats the name of the film? I said Rocky and he said Rocky Marciano? I said no, Rocky Balboa, and he said never heard of him.

At first, Connors was apprehensive about only being given a thirty word allotment for the lyrics, but Robert Culp, whom she was seeing at the time, told her she should be proud that she had captured the entire feeling of the film in only thirty words. That changed my thinking because he taught me the concept of turning a negative into a positive, she said."


And now back to our regularly scheduled adventures of "Identifying Adorable I SPY Animals" .... Thanks again, B-L for your great photo quizzes!!!!


As always,

Information R Us Tatia



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