The Wee Amigos are a refreshing new Irish Country Music Band. The members of the group are, Simon Peters, Ben Troy, and Gerald Ahern. Let me say this: The Wee Amigos are fantastic! They hail from towns of Donegal, Cork and Monaghan in Ireland. In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring the The Wee Amigos singing that Irish classic "The Galway Girl".
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (El Sol de México), is one of the greatest singers in the world. He was born on April 19, 1970, in Puerto Rico. Contrary to popular belief he is not Mexican, but is a Spanish citizen. His father is the singer Luisito Rey from Cadiz, Spain, and his mother was Italian actress Marcella Basteri from Carrara, Italy. In this edition of Endyr's Planet we feature Luis Miguel singing the beautiful and haunting Huapango "La Malagueña Salerosa" accompanied by guitarist Lusito Rey. It is a very powerful and moving performance. Luis was twelve years old at the time of this recording.
In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring one of the most beautiful songs in the whole world. It is called "L'Envie d'aimer (The Desire To Love), from the incredible musical from France, "Les Dix Commandements (The Ten Commandments)". This song was composed by Pascal Obispo, and Lionel Florence who have had several number one hits in France, and Patrice Guirao. "L'Envie d'aimer" is one of the biggest selling singles of all time in France, and was also a hit in other Western European countries. Unfortunately, though, it is not well known in America. That is a shame, as sometimes, we who live in the United States, tend to be very insular, and provincial in our musical tastes, and forget that there is a whole world of music out there for us to explore, experience, and enjoy. Valentin, Rémi, Madeleine, Enzo, and Olianawho were the finalist from the first season of Ecole des Stars, were invited back to the program to perform this magnificent encore during the finale of the show. I can listen to this song over and over again and it still brings tears to my eyes. It's also one of my Dear Aunt Martha's favorite songs.
In this edition of Endyr's Planet
we are featuring a moment of tranquility with the incredible Boys Air
Choir from Great Britain. The Boys Air Choir was formed in 1986, and is
comprised of seven members, aged eight to sixteen years old. Each
vocalist is carefully chosen from the choirs of various Cathedrals in
London such as St. Paul's, Salisbury, and Westminster. Each chorister
attends school full-time, so all recordings and promotional activities
take place during summer and Easter vacations. Please click on the
video widget below to hear the Boys Air Choir sing the hauntingly
beautiful "Bluebird". The CD by the Boys Air Choir that contains
"Bluebird" can be purchased from this Amazon.com link: Blue Bird - Boys Air Choir
Victor Santos is the son of the famous Brazilian singer/composer Louro Santos.In my estimation though, Victor is every bit as talented as his father. What sets Victor apart from the pack is that he sings beautifully, and also plays guitar really well. There are so many videos of young singers playing the guitar on YouTube, but most of them do not play well at all. Victor is the exception. He knows how to handle a guitar. In this edition of Endyr's Planet I am featuring Victor in an extraordinary video.It is very refreshing to listen and watch videos that are not filled with all of that junk electronic noise. In the video he performs a duet with his younger brother Gabriel. Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Planet, wherever you may be.
In this edition of Endyr's Planet, I am featuring my favorite book in the whole-wide-world. For those of you have not yet discovered the joys of Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game", now is the perfect time to begin experiencing it. Back in 1992, a user logged on to a BBS that I was operating called Beneath The Ruins, and while in chat mode, I asked him about his curious handle which was "Endyr". He said that it was based on a book he read called "Ender's Game", and that he changed the second "e" to a "y" in Ender, to make it look cooler. He was right, it does look "way cool"! It was so cool that I adopted it as my handle. I read "Ender's Game", and it became my perennial all-time favorite book to this day. Card has written the perfect book about childhood. I have read it about one-hundred times, it is that good. I won't even begin to describe the plot. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it is a must read. Please click on this link to purchase "Ender's Game" from Amazon.com: Ender's Game
"Welcome to the human race. Nobody controls his own life. The best you can do is choose to fill the roles given to you by good people, by people who love you."
-Valentine Wiggin (Ender's sister)
An Excerpt From "Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
Please click on the video widget below to view a "hypothetical" trailer that was made for an "Ender's Game" movie. Remember, this is not the actual movie trailer, but instead it is something that a fan of "Ender's Game" created.
Jackie Evancho has a true angelic presence and voice.I must admit that her performance of "O Mio Babbino Caro (Oh My Dear Father)"from Giacomo Puccini's comic opera in one act, "Gianni Schicchi", brought me to tears. Sometimes I feel rather sad that there is a dearth of high quality young singers and performers in America. You have probably noticed that most of the young artists featured on Endyr's Planet come from Europe. Jackie Evancho gives me hope that this trend is now changing. In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring Jackie singing "O Mio Babbino Caro", and "Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep)" from Puccini's "Turandot". Jackie has a cool website that can be found at this link: Jackie Evancho - Official Website Please click on this Amazon.com link to purchase MP3s of Jackie singing both of these songs:O Mio Babbino Caro - Jackie Evanchoand Nessun Dorma - Jackie Evancho
Alis is a terrific singer from Russia. I discovered him about a short while ago, and since then I've been searching the internet to find information about him, but alas, I was not successful at all. Alis has a sweet and beautiful voice, and I wish that he had a CD for sale. I would be his first customer. "Холодный ветер (A Cold Wind)" is the name of the song that he sings in the video below. Alis sings with such feeling, that even though I don't understand Russian, I can feel the pain and pathos of his song. His voice is really expressive, and his vocal delivery is outstanding for one who is so young. As a side note, this music video has very high production values, and is a joy to watch. Click on the video widget below for a musical treat.
One of the good things about having a blog is the joy of discovering new talent. As it so often happens, I was looking for something else, and I stumbled accidentally on MattyBRaps cool "How To Love" video. I should say that it is super cool! There is just something so special and magical about "How To Love". In a way it makes me feel nostalgic for my own youth. In MattyBRaps own words "Me and my friends had a BLAST making this music video. We had never launched a rocket before and Ithought the "rocket footage" turned out AWESOME!" By-the-way, I just love that green rocket. Well, "How To Love" is evocative, wistful and very haunting. In general I am not a big fan of RAP or Street-music, though I do admire the music of Coolio, Bust/Guf, Nicky Jam, and Lil Wayne. MattyBRaps is in a class all of his own.He was born on January 7, 2003, and lives with his parents and siblings in Cobb County, Marietta, Georgia. His real name is Matthew Morris.In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring him in a parody of Lil Wayne's 2011 mega-hit "How To Love". Matt, with the help of his father, wrote the lyrics of the parody. MattyBRaps YouTube channel can be found here: MattyBRaps Official YouTube Channel Please click on this link to purchase MattyBRaps' MP3s from from Amazon.com: MattyBRaps MP3s On Amazon
How To Love
(A Parody By MattyBRaps)
Cut the music up,
A little louder.
Yeah, hmmmm...
You had a lot of crooks try to steal your parts.
Everybody will watch, count down's gonna start.
When you go up (3, 2). Hope you don't blow up (that would be terrible).
I've had a lot of toys that didn't last forever,
And I've been up all morning trying to glue you together,
To fly up... We wanna see you fly up.
Eh, yup, let me tell you what happened.
The other day I was at the store when it caught my eye.
See I'm a lover of any toy that says it can fly.
I let my momma keep my wallet cause I love to buy,
But I just begged I gotta have it, this was ultra fly.
I told my brother when I launch it he can watch it too.
We set a launch date, launch date coming soon.
The closet thing we'd ever seen was in a cartoon.
I wrote my name on it just in case it hits the moon.
Now I admire this rocket ship with a passion.
I just had the thought to make a camera attachment baby,
So when it's done we'll see what all has happened.
Bro you must be trippin'. I'm doin' the button mashin'.
You had a lot of crooks try to steal your parts.
Everybody will watch, count down's gonna start
When you go up (3, 2). Hope you don't blow up (that would be terrible).
I've had a lot of toys that didn't last forever,
And I've been up all morning trying to glue you together,
To fly up... Fly up hmmmm...
In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring the amazing Stan. "Stanforfred" is the actual nom de plume that Stan uses on YouTube. Stan is very, very entertaining, and some of his videos are just totally manic! You can find a lot of his videos on YouTube. Just do a search for "stanforfred" and they will all pop-up like magic. Words are not adequate to describe Stan's inimitable antics. They have to be experienced.
"Prince d'Azur (Prince Of Blue)" is a
hauntingly beautiful song, and Francis Bernier performs it exquisitely.
Francis was born in Saint-Redempteur, Quebec, on September 5, 1997. He
is an amazing singer with a pure voice filled with angelic light. I've
wanted to make a post of this song for quite a while, but I could not
find a video of it that did justice to it, until I found this one.
"Prince
d'Azur" is full of mystical and healing qualities, that can soothe the
troubled soul. My Dear Aunt Martha and I fell in love with"Prince
d'Azur"
and do not get tired of hearing it. We have played it over and over
again, with great joy and pleasure. Please click on this link to
purchase the CD that contains Francis Bernier singing "Prince d'Azur"
from Amazon.com: Prince d'Azur - Francis Bernier The complete translation of the lyrics of "Prince d'Azur" can be found below.
"Prince d'Azur"
Lyrics: Serge Lama
Music: Sylvain Michel
You, Prince of the Blue, Who dances above the walls Among the kites. You above, all Your children on their knees With their white candles. Fly ... Fly Dance in the air without words Your home is among the fireflies. Fly ... Fly For those who raze the ground "Hope" is a parable. You must fly! You, whose pierced hands Healed love that was chapped In the heart of beggars. You, you who have been able to speak To the stones of Galileo ... If ever you hear me: Fly ... Fly Dance in the air without words Your home is among the fireflies. Fly ... Fly For those who raze the ground "Hope" is a parable Fly (Narration. Serge Lama) You must fly. You must fly away. For us you must fly, and Make the dream nightingales Of our meager lives, riveted to the ground. Because our flesh isolates us From our soul, Which is stuck in a straitjacket. Fly (Fly) Fly (Fly) For those who raze the ground (For those who raze the ground) "Hope is a parable. ("Hope" is a parable) Fly ... Fly ... You must fly!
In this edition of Endyr's Planet we just had to do a double-play featuring the amazing Léo Rispal from France. Who can resist Léo Rispal's sassy rendition of that old Doris Day classic "Perhaps". Notice the real mojo in his walk as he struts confidently around the stage. Léo is cute, as cute can be. When I first viewed this video, I almost fell on the floor because it was so cool, and charming. And that hat Léo is wearing; what a perfect touch to his ensemble. It also adds a lot to his musical performance. I never get tired of watching this video. Léo has a lot of videos on YouTube, but this one is the best by far. It's so much fun to watch. But the icing on the cake is Léo's haunting performance of Judy Garland's timeless classic, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow. In a sense, Léo does a daring rendition, as he only has a solo piano accompanying him. That is about as unplugged as can you get.
The images and the plot of "Lord Of The
Flies (1963)" are so intense, and at times so horrific, that it makes
one forget, or not notice that the film contains an incredibly beautiful
soundtrack. Raymond Leppard,
the composer, wrote a couple of sensational variations on the liturgical
"Kyrie Eleison (Lord Have Mercy)" theme. In this edition of Endyr's Planet
we are presenting two different settings of the "Kyrie Eleison" from
"Lord Of The Flies". The first one is a cheeky, breezy, almost
insouciant rendition by the rogue choirboys as they are marching along
the beach at the beginning of the movie. The second "Kyrie Eleison" is
sung darkly to accompany the death of Simon. I call this one the "Kyrie
- Requiem". The murder of Simon the mystic is so disturbing and
senseless, that it makes me mourn for him every time I see this scene,
but underscoring it is a "Kyrie Eleison" that is both haunting, and
unforgettable. By-the-way, the 1990 remake of "Lord Of The Flies" just
does not have the impact, and power of the original. It is my opinion
that too much editing, and rewriting of the story was done. Please click on this link
to purchase the DVD of "Lord Of The Flies" from Amazon.com: Lord of the Flies - The Criterion Collection
Vyacheslav Marchuk (В'ячеслав Марчук) is from the Ukraine,
that is about the only information that we could find out about him,
which is really a shame, as he is a fantastic singer. My Dear
Aunt Martha and I have "auditioned" many singers for Endyr's Planet, but Vyacheslav is in a class of his own. His voice is pure and sweet. In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring Vyacheslav performing a hauntingly beautiful Ukrainian song called "Take Me Across The Square". Take note of Vyacheslav's bare feet and the
traditional Ukrainian clothes that he is wearing. They are a perfect
touch to a classy performance. My Dear Aunt Martha and I were moved by
Vyacheslav's daring a capella singing. By-the-way, Vyacheslav has a lot of videos on YouTube. Click on the video widget below for a transcendental musical experience.
Yura Demidovich (Юра Демидович), the twelve-year old
singing sensation from Belarus, has been generating a fair amount of
controversy on the internet because of the hit song that he composed
called, "Volshebnyi Krolik", or Волшебный Кролик ("Magic Rabbit", also
known colloquially as "Etis Atis Animatis"). When I first heard this
song, it sent shivers repeatedly, up and down my spine. It is that
good! Yura is the best young singer that I have heard in a long, long
time. He is in the same rarefied class of vocalists as Valentin
Vierling, and Afanasy Prokhorov. By-the-way, Yura and Afanasy, are both
from Russia. One thing that is so unusual about Yura's voice is that
his high notes sound so full and rich, it is almost as if he is using
his spirit body for added resonance. Yura sings with such passion, that
I get the feeling that he is a very old soul in a young body. It
appears though, that some Bible thumpers in America, and elsewhere, are
accusing him, and his song, of promoting Satanism. That is an
accusation that I find very laughable. Let me give you some examples of
how far these kinds of people will go with their malicious accusations
and gossip. They allege that the phrase "Etis Atis Animatis" translates
from the Latin as "Pale horror comes to life, pale horror craves you".
Well that shows their ignorance, as "Etis Atis" is the equivalent of
singing "la, la, la" in a song, it is basically meaningless. It is not
Latin at all! "Animatis" could possibly be translated as "breath" or
"soul". Other fundamentalist naysayers, claim that "Etis Atis Animatis"
is nothing more than a disguised form of the word "Satan". Another
allegation is that the five performers of "Etis Atis Animatus" are
performing on a pentagram that is drawn on the stage floor. I have
personally viewed over ten video versions of this song, and in none of
them is there a pentagram visible anywhere on the stage! That is all
rubbish! As Yura tells it, he was inspired to write this song by the
rabbit in Louis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland". Yura says that the
words "Etis Atis Animatis" are "improvisations of the rabbit when he
invents the poem." Now, how innocuous is that? In Yura's own words,
"My song tells the story of a boy, who seriously studies music for many
hours, plays an instrument, sings chorals in Latin, but sometimes he
wishes to play football with other kids, and he misses his mother." As
you can see, the song is largely autobiographical in nature.
Furthermore, Yura is a member of an Evangelical Christian church called
"Divine Grace". Fortunately, though, Yura is taking all of this
controversy with style, and grace as he has said, "Even the bad reviews
have helped, because I've tried to sing better, so that everyone likes
the song." "Volshebnyi Krolik" is an interesting mix of Rap, Classical
Music, and High Opera. It is very reminiscent of "O Fortuna" from Carl
Orff's "Carmina Burana". Yura's official website can be found at this
link: Yura Demidovich - Official Website
Please visit it as it contains a lot of very interesting information. In this edition of Endyr's Planet, I am very proud to feature, the extremely talented Yura Demidovich.
For those of you who are interested, here is the complete English
translation of "Volshebnyi Krolik":
Magic Rabbit Composed by Yura Demidovich
Somewhere in a deep forest through the firs which are blue, magic flowers and plants, he simply lives, sadly songs he sings,
Who do you think? Of who do you think?
The magic rabbit!
The magic rabbit breaks the habit, he wears glasses, he writes with chalk pluses. The magic rabbit, he's a poet, he studies Latin and plays the violin. The magic rabbit breaks the habit, he wears glasses, he writes with chalk pluses. The magic rabbit, he loves others, he lives in a forest and misses his mother!
Once in a great while, I come across a video that really catches my fancy in a big way. As is often the case, I was looking for something else, and serendipitously, I find a precious treasure. To say that I was totally captivated by this video would be an understatement. In this edition of Endyr's Planet, we present Yura who is seven, and Karina, who is six, from the Northern Ukrainian city of Berdichev. Thanks to Yura and Karina, we are allowed just for a few minutes, to glimpse beyond the veil that usually separates us from seeing the pure innocence, and unbounded joys of childhood. Yura is amazingly strong and athletic for his age, and makes all of his moves seem so effortless. It's almost as if he is defying gravity, and throughout all of this, he has a beatific smile on his face. Karina, is the perfect dance partner, and plays her part extremely well. I can easily imagine both of them as being the set-piece on top of an Angelic Music Box. Watching this video is truly a transcendental experience, and I feel honored to be able to share it with all of the fans of Endyr's Planet.
Ivan Kupala (Иван-Купала) Day (St. John the Baptist
Day) is celebrated in Eastern European countries around July 7.
Tvorila Night, the eve of Ivan Kupala Day, is considered to be a time
for good humor, mischief, and boisterous fun. On Ivan Kupala day
itself, children have water fights, and perform pranks mostly involving
pouring water over someone's head. After all, it is St. John the
Baptist day. I am a bit nostalgic about "Ivan Kupala", as it is the
song that introduced me to the amazing, and entertaining, Vlad
Krutskikh and Street Magic. It is interesting to note that all the
performers in this cool video are wearing Ivan Kupala (St. John The
Baptist) themed costumes. The official Street Magic website can be
found at this link: Street Magic (Official Website) Vlad Krutskikh's website can visited at this link: Vlad Krutskikh (Official Website)
"The Power Of One" is a vastly underrated movie that was directed by John Avildsen who also did the "Rocky" and the "Karate Kid" movies. It is probably his best film. "The Power Of One" follows the story of the fatherless P.K. as he comes of age in the racially torn South Africa of the 1940s. It is mostly autobiographical, and comes from the novel "The Power Of One" written by Bryce Courtenay. Two marvelous actors play P.K. at age seven (Guy Witcher) and at age twelve (Simon Fenton). The movie also has a haunting soundtrack that was written by Hans Zimmer of "The Lion King" fame. Taken all together, this is one movie that you will not soon forget. The book "The Power Of One" can be purchased from this Amazon.com link: The Power of One: A Novel The DVD can be purchased from this Amazon.com link: The Power of One - DVD If you like the music, the MP3 album can be purchased from this Amazon.com link: The Power Of One Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - MP3 Album Please click on the video widget below to watch my favorite scene from "The Power Of One", that features Simon Witcher as P.K., and Morgan Freeman as Geel Piet.
In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring two videos of the amazing Sasha from Russia. Well, up unto this point, the identity of Sasha was pretty much a mystery, but it has been solved.Please click on the video on the very bottom of this post for Sasha's true identity. I think that the answer will astound you. The topmost video is the promo for Russia's 2018 World Cup bid, starring Sasha.
"Porcelain Unicorn" is that
one-of-a-kind film short, that manages to break the heart in the least
amount of time. It won a first place prize in the "Philips’ Tell It
Your Way", film-making contest, for American director Keegan Wilcox.
The plot of "Porcelain Unicorn" was inspired by the real-life,
traumatic World War II experiences of Wilcox's grandfather. It is a
true story, and an extremely moving one at that. Trevor Teichmann is
completely stunning, and captivating as the Hitler Youth who discovers
a young Jewish girl who is hiding from the Gestapo. His face tells
complete stories of its own. He is now involved in the filming, and
production, of the theatrical version of "Porcelain Unicorn". Trevor,
who is a model, has a wonderful career as a movie actor ahead of
him. I can watch "Porcelain Unicorn" over and over again with
complete enjoyment. The conclusion of this film is completely
magical, and wonderful.
In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring "Alpha Beta Gamma" starring Adrian Huerta.This amazing film- short was directed and written by Miguel Alcaide. Try to figure out what happens to the little chicken at the end of the movie. The answer to this is not very obvious at first.
I am completely fascinated by Brennen
Maniaci's performance of "Crank That (Soulja Boy)". I saw a short video
of it about six months ago. In that video, he was doing the dance as
part of an ensemble, but his dancing skills outshone the other dancers.
I was very happy to find a video of him doing a solo version of "Soulja
Boy". Incidentally, "Crank
That (Soulja Boy)" was composed and performed by Soulja Boy Tell 'Em,
whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way. Please click on this link to
purchase an MP3 of "Crank That (Soulja Boy) from Amazon.com: Crank That (Soulja Boy) In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring Brennen's amazing and hypnotic performance of "Crank
That (Soulja Boy)". Brennen is very athletic and does some cool body
flips. By-the-way, I really like his facial expressions when he is
barreling-down-the-groove!
Chico and Roberta is an exciting musical duo from Puerto Seguru in Brazil. They were inseparable from their infancy, and went to the same school, and even did their homework together. Chico
and Roberto initially received a lot of media attention with their
spirited dance interpretation of the Lambada, which you can find many
versions of on YouTube. In this edition of Endyr's Planet, my Dear Aunt Martha and I are presenting two remarkable video presentations of "Esperança Do Natal (Christmas Hope)" performed by Chico and Roberta with a large supporting cast. These
videos have really high production values, and stands out as some of
the best music videos ever to come out of Brazil. As usual, my Dear
Aunt Martha and I discovered "Esperança Do Natal" quite serendipitously when we were browsing the internet for something else. "Esperança
Do Natal" is an extremely hypnotic, haunting, infectious, exotic,
intriguing, and beautiful song. I can listen to it over, and over again
with complete enjoyment. By-the-way,
the conga player has a rhythmic intensity that is very appealing. He
is fun to watch. Please click on this link to purchase an MP3 of Chico and Roberta singing "Esperança Do Natal" from Amazon.com: Esperença Do Natal - Chico and Roberta Without further ado, please click on the video widgets below for an incredible video treat.
and Nessun Dorma - Jackie Evancho
The complete translation of the lyrics of "Prince d'Azur" can be found below.
The DVD can be purchased from this Amazon.com link: The Power of One - DVD If you like the music, the MP3 album can be purchased from this Amazon.com link: The Power Of One Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - MP3 Album
In this edition of Endyr's Planet we are featuring Brennen's amazing and hypnotic performance of "Crank
That (Soulja Boy)". Brennen is very athletic and does some cool body
flips. By-the-way, I really like his facial expressions when he is
barreling-down-the-groove! 
