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Yikes, another year gone…
For me, it’s been a year of sadness and loss and if not for the true friendships of some of you, I don’t know how I would have gotten through it. The person I owe the most thanks to is our wonderful web chick Sharon. Without her, this club would be non-existent today. Several calls to her throughout the year telling her ’I just can’t handle it’, ‘I don’t have it in me anymore’,’ the thrill is gone’, ‘I don’t have the time’, ‘nobody loves me’…. yes, it’s been a ‘woe is me’ year. But with each call to Sharon, I was assured that things were running smoothly and she would take care of any problems. And she did…and she never complained.
During one of my more ‘ambitious’ moments of the year, I called her up and literally drafted her to walk in the Relay and she bravely accepted the challenge. Did she complain about the two hour drive each way, or the torrential rains that turned us into drowned rats in that 24-hour period or even the fact that our team consisted of a handful, <a very small handful> of our members and my entire family? Never once! All that mattered was that we were doing it for a cause we believed in. Sharon has a way of looking at the positive side of things and if that’s not a wonderful attribute in itself, she can then guide you to a place were you can see the positive too. So for all the craziness she put up with from me this year, I want to say a great big THANK YOU SHARON!
Now to backtrack just a bit in regards to the club’s existence, can you believe it’s been ten years since I bought my first computer, turned it on and typed Manilow in the search field? And that was the start of Manilow’s Modems and a lot of great times over the years. However, with so little participation on the string, begging for newsletter articles and photos and little interest in the fundraiser, I called Sharon a few weeks back and told her I was shutting us down. This was done in one of my rare moments of sanity and a lot of thought went in to the decision. My reasoning was that in the old days, no one was afraid to post their experiences for fear of being reamed. No one worried that if they shared a photo it would end up on other sites with photo credit going to anyone but the actual photographer. And although the dollars for the fundraiser this year are triple what we’ve ever raised in past years due in part by matching dollars from my company, we just don’t get much participation anymore. Things just aren’t the same.
All of the above, coupled with my recent decision to go back to school which will take up what little spare time I already have, seemed to clinch my decision to shut us down. It made perfect sense to finally say goodbye to Manilow’s Modems. Once again Sharon came to my rescue saying she would support whatever I decided but again assuring me that she loves working on the website, and she has been able to keep up with releasing new members and answering members’ questions.
Now, I know most of you probably think the club runs itself, but that’s not true. Not only does a lot of work go into the club, but there is the cost involved. It costs each year to register our domain name and to keep the website up and running. At this point, we’re open to donations from the group in order to keep us up and running unless someone has a better idea. We need your suggestions and we need your help. We want to make it fun again. We want to make it hands on and fan friendly again. If we can’t do that, then 2005 may truly be our last year. Don’t sit around and assume that someone else will respond to our call. I’d like to see comments from at least half of the group regarding your thoughts and ideas on keeping the club going. Let’s do some brainstorming –
Here’s the link: Manilow's Modems Official Suggestion Box
ON A MANILOW NOTE
Can you believe this man? What an incredible year it’s been for him. Just when we thought the shows at the Barry Bash Convention might possibly be his last, we were surprised with a mini tour later in the year. And if that wasn’t enough, some of you actually had the opportunity to briefly visit with our hero one on one and share some of your platinum desires. And with dreams of Harmony in 2005 quite possibly put on hold once again, we were shocked with the announcement that Barry is setting up home at the Hilton in Las Vegas soon. Who could ask for anything more? We can…we still want Harmony.
I’m not going to bore you with a recap of all that Barry’s accomplished this year. For those who may have missed something, you can go to the MM archives and read it all. All I have left to say is, ‘Viva, Las Vegas’!
Margie Ramey
Director - MMOLFC
Wow! We really out did ourselves this year.
RACE FOR THE CURE WALK – SAN DIEGO, CA OCTOBER 1-3, 2004
Thousands of women and men united for three days and walked 60 miles in a bold display of courage and commitment. It was a weekend of hope, as they honored lives lost, celebrated survivors, promoted breast cancer research, and helped bring breast cancer care to those who so desperately need it. Every year in the United States, breast cancer claims nearly 40,000 lives.
In June, Manilow’s Modems raised a total of $2,914.00 by selling Breast Cancer Awareness bracelets. These beautiful hand made crystal and sterling silver bracelets, which boast a sterling silver cancer awareness ribbon dangling from them, were purchased by many of our members during the June Barry Bash in Las Vegas and the proceeds raised from their sale helped to sponsor walkers in the 3-Day Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Walk in San Diego.
Net proceeds from the three days benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to fund breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs, as well as the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund, to provide a permanent endowment for breast cancer initiatives.
RELAY FOR LIFE – NEWBURY PARK, CA , OCTOBER 16, 17, 2004
In October Manilow’s Modems participated as part of “TEAM MANILOW” in the 24-Hour Relay for Life Cancer Walk in Newbury Park/Thousand Oaks, CA. The team consisted of several Barry Manilow Sanctioned Fan Clubs and email strings who either sent members to walk with or contributed funds to sponsor walkers. Together, we raised another $1,685.00.
The Relay is an overnight event that unites our community in a common effort to raise much-needed funds for cancer research,
education, advocacy, and patient services. Every year, the funds raised help bring the American Cancer Society one step closer to eliminating cancer from our lives for good
For this event many thanks go out to:
Manilow’s Modems On Line Fan Club BMFC
Angels BMFC
Heart of Ohio BMFC
Barry’s Circle of Friends BMFC
Manimail
Stars in the Night BMFC
And separate and very special thanks go out to those who
walked and braved the elements of the torrential rainstorm that hit us that weekend:
Margie Ramey
Shannen Ramey
Todd Ramey
Trevor Ramey
LLoyd Ramey
Karen Voyles
Maria Ortiz
Sharon Petka
Cheryl Stuart
Shelly Sanders
Patti Lane
Three Days of Barry
by Louise Moy
What is just as good as seeing Barry Manilow
in concert? Seeing him at a TV taping!! I was able to see Barry three times
in one week! This was possible through the efforts of a dear, sweet, and
considerate friend (you know who you are!)
When the BMIFC hotline first
mentioned that Barry would be on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, not many of us
really knew that much about the show. I had to look it up in the TV guide to
find his late night talk show. It was on at midnight, so, being the late
night owl I am, I watched his show a couple of times to see what it was all
about. From the looks of his set, it appeared to be filmed on Hollywood
Blvd. as one could see the Grauman's Chinese Theater in the windows behind
Jimmy Kimmel's desk. Well, Margie was able to get tickets for his show and
it was during my spring break from school. I drove 2 ˝ hours from my home in
the high desert to Margie’s place in Simi Valley. We got to Hollywood and
Highland about 3PM, had some lunch, and just walked around for a while since
there were only a handful of fans waiting in line outside the studio. We
still had over 4 hours before they would let us in. The first two fans had
one of those folding camping chairs, which reminded me of the Will and Grace
episode where Will was waiting in line for tickets to a Manilow concert. We
had a nice time chatting with the fans in line. One of Jimmy Kimmel's staff
started talking to some of us in line. It seems that he wanted some
background information on what we knew about Barry. Perhaps Jimmy Kimmel
could use some of the info to help him while he was chatting with Barry on
the show? Some of us were filmed on camera while in line. One of the fans, I
think her name was Carrie, had on a Manilow wristwatch and earrings and some
of us had our BMIFC membership cards out. We were told to say something
about how much we love Barry Manilow. I was told by Kimmel’s staff member to
say, “I love Barry Manilow so much, that I have a photo of him in my wallet,
next to my kids.” Fortunately for me and especially my daughters, this was
never used on the show. I would have never lived it down— that I embarrassed
them on TV. We were ushered into the studio and waited in anticipation,
especially since there was a piano on stage right. We sat about 8 rows back
on the piano side and had a good view of the stage. It turns out that the
"windows" behind Jimmy were not really windows at all. They were TV screens
with projected images of the street scenes outside the studio. Vanessa
Williams was the first guest and talked about being married to LA Lakers’
star Rick Fox. Then Barry came out and looked mighty fine!! Jimmy and Barry
had a good chat and they seemed to have a good rapport with each other. If
any of you had seen Barry on the Conan O'Brien show, several years ago, one
did not get the impression on that show that the vibes were positive. During
the commercial break, Barry chatted with Vanessa. Wish we could have heard
what they were saying. Also, the make-up gal was touching up Barry's face,
but not Vanessa's! The stage backdrop by the piano was done up very nicely
and looked better in person than as seen on TV. Barry sang his songs and
waved goodbye to us before he left the stage.
The following Wednesday was the American Idol taping at CBS studios. I
watched the show on Tuesday night and was thinking, "Wow, Margie and I will
be right there in the audience tomorrow!" We got to CBS early, found
parking, and then joined the long, long line outside on the sidewalk. Many
were holding signs for their favorite idol singers. Margie was able to get
tickets to the show through a charity organization that was raising monies
through the sale of tickets. We had to go through security, scanning us for
weapons and looking through our purses for cameras and cell phones. We had
great seats, third row behind the floor seats, which were reserved for
family and friends of the American Idol singers. The studio is smaller than
what it looks like on camera. During commercial breaks, the audience got to
ask questions of the judges and some got autographs from them. Reuben and a
few other former Idol singers were in the audience. They got cheers and
recognition from the audience. As you all know, Barry and the AI singers
sang Let Freedom Ring. It was great on TV, but it was even better in person!
What a shock upon hearing the name of the singer who would be leaving the
show. The whole audience gasped when Jennifer's name was announced!! We
could totally see George's reaction especially, and all the other singers
had such a look of surprise or shock on their faces. The TV camera could
only capture some of their reactions, but we could see it all. Usually, the
TV show is timed to the second, and the producer moves everyone along, so
that the singer that is voted off gets to sing his or her final song in its
entirety, but with all that went on, Jennifer's song was cut off after only
4 stanzas because time was up and we could see the credits were rolling on
the TV monitor to the left of the stage. Jennifer stopped, a little
confused, but then was told to finish singing her brilliant rendition of
Weekend in New England for all of us in the audience. After that, she was so
gracious to thank us for being so supportive of her.
The very next day, it was the On Air with Ryan Seacrest show and we got
there at 7AM to wait in line on the sidewalk along Hollywood Blvd. There
were already about twenty fans in line. One fan got in line at 2AM and the
security guard couldn’t believe she was there in the middle of the night, so
she could guarantee that she would not miss an opportunity to see Barry. We
spent the time chatting with those around us, gave each other potty breaks
and made some coffee runs. Towards lunch time, some enterprising employees
of a pizzeria came around with slices of pizza and soda for sale.
It was now close to 1 PM and the On-Air staff told us we had a decision to
make: we were asked whether we wanted to sit inside the studio for the
interview with Barry and Jennifer or stand outside in a roped off area in
front of the stage for the outdoor concert. Most of us chose the latter,
although it would have been really, really, great if we could have done
both! Some fans chose to go inside to get out of the heat and bright sun and
they wanted to rest their achy feet! We were almost right in front of the
stage. The only people in front of us were a row of VIPs and another row of
Barry’s staff including Vikki, John, and others from the BMIFC. While we
were outside waiting for Barry to appear, speakers had been set up so we
could hear what was going on inside the studio as it was being broadcast
live to the east coast. The interviews with Jennifer and Barry were
wonderful, as many of you know from watching the show. What an experience to
see Barry and Jennifer Hudson sing their duet of Weekend in New England!
Jennifer is an amazing, talented singer, who should have a great career
ahead of her in the years to come.
This was the first time I had ever seen Barry sing outdoors for a TV program
in person. Many of my friends who live in New York have had the opportunity
to see him do the outdoor concerts on Good Morning America and the Today
Show and they have shared their excitement of being there. It really is a
different experience to see Barry in a setting outside of the regular
concerts. And the best part of all these special appearances is that it is
FREE. The only drawback is you have to call in sick to work and plan to
stand in line for hours. Someone who is well-prepared would have a fold-up
lawn chair with her. My top Barry experiences outside of the concerts would
be the filming of Ultimate Manilow at the Kodak Theater, the On-Air with
Ryan Seacrest show, and the American Idol show with Barry. But seeing Barry
at 3 different TV settings in the span of one week will be something I will
never forget!
We asked your opinion about Manilow SCORES and the 2005 Calendar. You responded letting us know how you absolutely felt about these subjects. Without going into the details, those can be found by clicking on the survey titles, we will give you the top vote getter in each. The favorite track on SCORES is Where You Go and the first place 2005 Calendar photo is October.
by Rose Fenstermaker
Photos by
Georgy Knowles
.... NEW YORK CITY....what can you say about a city that
is the home of BARRY MANILOW!!!! We arrived there around 6pm I think and
went to check in to our hotel room at the Radio City Apartments and freshen
up before we were to meet with Terri E and her group. As Georgy and I walked
around this magnificent city I kept looking up at all the Billboards and
tall buildings and my mouth was hanging open so often......I said "Do I look
like a tourist or what???" We walked to Rockafeller Center and watched the
people roller skating when Terri called
and said WE ARE HERE!!!!!! so we met them and went to a cool diner where the
waiters and waitresses sing for you we chatted till about midnight when we
decided we all ought to get to bed so we could get up at 4:30AM to be at GMA
studios by 5AM....well who could sleep???? Georgy did......I lie there till
2:30 listening to 2NL on my headset until I finally fell asleep only to have
a wake up call 2hrs later!!!!!!!!!! ....oh well who cares I WAS GOING TO SEE
BARRY MANILOW UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!!!!!!!! well not too personal but I
digress.......so we arrive and see our friends waiting to greet us
all.....after about an hour and a half the GMA people started to give us
instructions for behavior once we were inside....like we need to be told how
to behave around BARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so we finally go inside and man it was
packed like sardines!!! I was the last in line and had my back to the
door
when out leader Debby Katz found one of the security guys and asked if we
could go to the other side of the room since there were several "Vertically
Challenged" people in her group and
we COULD NOT SEE!!!!!! so believe it or not they moved us and we were right
smack in front of the stage!!!!!!!!!!!!!OMG!! OMG!!!! to be that close I was
losing it fast.........well as the saying goes ..."some good things never
last"...we were moved to the other side of the stage right ! next to Ron and
the orchestra...so now we have a view of the BACK of Barry.....not a bad
place to be but the DERN PIANO blocked our view!!!!!! so we wait and we wait
some more when finally the time arrived......HERE COMES BARRY!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG..OMG....my friends had to keep reminding me to BREATHE!!!!!! he looked
rested and GORGEOUS as always..once on stage he greeted us all with that
lovely smile that lights up his face and ours...Terri and a few gals behind
me called to him and he turned to face us when they yelled "WE LOVE YOU
BARRY" and there was the smile again...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I had to watch
the video when I got home cause I was so mesmerized by him that I could not
remember many of the songs he sang..I do remember EVERY SINGLE DAY
though...what a thrill.. that song never fails to give me goosebumps...and
the ending...WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW ....so there ya have it...my little story of
my day in NYC seeing BARRY MANILOW!!!! closer than I ever have in my
life...! a time I will never forget...thanks to Georgeann and Debby and of
course BARRY!!!!
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Revised: Saturday, 27 October 2007 01:18 PM -0700