50 Shades of Alma

This week on WCLV, I'm spoofing the best-selling erotic novel "50 Shades of Grey," by adding the musical tale of Alma Mahler, a woman whose juicy romantic exploits reportedly included much of musical Vienna, before and after her marriage to Gustav Mahler. She subsequently married the architect Walter Gropius and the author Franz Werfel, as deliciously set out in Tom Lehrer's satirical song, "Alma," which you heard last Friday on 104.9.

You can hear "50 Shades of Alma" at 8:20 this week on WCLV. You can read the episodes on this blog begining Wednesday, August 1st.

Summer Color

How about these hydrangeas? They look like cotton candy gone wild.

I May Melt

This looks like fireworks, but it's really spontaneous sparking in the hot air over Cleveland, as we endure another day in Mother Nature's EZ-Bake Oven. It will feel 20 degrees cooler tomorrow.

A Quiet Memorial

A deceased mouse found and disposed of Saturday in one of the office cubicles is remembered with respect and offerings.

Choppy and Chilly

A cold blast from this crashing wave would have been welcome during the recent hot weather. Yesterday at Cleveland's East 55th Street Marina on a cool day, this example of aquatic fireworks riveted observers who, for their own safety, kept a goodly distance from Lake Erie's shore.

Dolls and Guys at Ohio Light Opera

We had lots of both, as the winners of our "Guys and Dolls" ticket contest attended opening night at yesterday's "WCLV Day at Ohio Light Opera" event in Wooster. Last night's performance of one of American's greatest musicals was beautifully sung and great fun. And you could understand every word of every song. How often does that happen? Several listeners were photographed wearing "The Tiara of Traffic," on display at the WCLV table. They all looked like Miss America. They looked so regal that afterward they were practicing their waves. Before the show, I chatted with one of OLO's best-known actors, Ted Christopher, and OLO Artistic Director Steven Daigle. Those interviews will be aired soon on WCLV 104.9. Keep listening.

Remembering Ann Rutherford

Actress Ann Rutherford, who visited WCLV during a trip to northeast Ohio in 2010, died Monday at the age of 94. When she visited WCLV in 2010, she was in town to attend an event at the Kent State Museum. You can find her interview from that date, with a "web extra" feature, plus a 2009 phone interview, on www.wclv.com. Click on "Arts Resources," then on "Interviews." She tells how she got into radio, and how she happened to run into producer David O. Selznick on a train, which meeting led to being cast as the youngest O'Hara sister in "Gone With the Wind."