Language fail

[Dave W]

I admire anyone who can speak and understand more than one language.

Still, this is funny.

Except for Harry Nilsson, who's probably rolling over in his grave.

[TBird1958]

Awwww.................. Dave!

Next time warn me to have two icepicks to jab into my eardrums 

[Max Soren]

Up to this point, I would have said that Jessica Simpson's cover of Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" was the worst cover in the history of music.  I still consider it a crime against humanity.  Nevertheless, after hearing this, I can now say that there are even much, much worse things out there.  I am still cringing at this.  It was beyond horrifying. 

[Andrew]

Ken Lee, I can't Ken Lee without you.

[Bass VI]

Confirming my long-standing belief that anything ending in "Idol" should be banned..............forever...... ( except perhaps for comic relief or psychological warfare ) 

[uwe]

I thought it was Hebrew initially.

It's all down to Mariah's sloppy pronounciation.

And Herr Moderator: Not Herr Nilsson will be turning in his grave (who only covered the song after hearing it on a party, then subsequently recording it while Badfinger were recording their new album next door - they approved of his version and immediately felt he had done the song better justice than them), but the two guys from Badfinger who wrote it (and wisely committed suicide well ahead of this "Ken Lee" performance).

[ilan]

I thought it was Hebrew initially.

Actually Hebrew sounds a bit like Dutch. For example in this link, the video window... wait until after the commercial, the long haired guy is me speaking Hebrew: http://www.keshet-tv.com/VideoPage.aspx?MediaID=43292&SourceID=58

[uwe]

I think Yiddish has a slight Dutch sound to it because it has a strong Mittelhochdeutsch component to it - just like Dutch. Hebrew sounds a lot more like Arabic to me - no wonder considering the proximity of the origins of both languages. I find both languages pleasant to the ear and love that throaty "ch" as in Chaim.

Anyway, Ilan, confronted with your obvious stardom in Israel where you are commenting on some Liverpudlian no-name during prime time TV and the Hebrew alphabet on that site: Shouldn't you be playing bass right to left? 

Which reminds me of a joke one of my NYC Jewish partners told me:

Chaim Silverman really works his butt off in a NYC three-partner law firm with two goy partners going by the collective name of Wright, Smith & Silverman. While he works day and night, his partners prefer golfing. Finally, one of his friends takes him aside and says: "Chaim, you're doing all this work for these two other guys. You are the one with the charisma and the contacts. Shouldn't the firm be called Silverman, Wright & Smith rather than the other way around?" And Chaim beams at him: "Are you meschugge, all my clients read from right to left!"[/i]

Uwe

[ilan]

Yes, Hebrew and Arabic are about 80% the same. A bit like Italian and Romanian.

And what I was commenting on there was the official confirmation of McCartney's first ever tour date in Tel Aviv - Sept. 25. Right now I'm fighting a gory battle to get the interview.

[Dave W]

And Herr Moderator: Not Herr Nilsson will be turning in his grave (who only covered the song after hearing it on a party, then subsequently recording it while Badfinger were recording their new album next door - they approved of his version and immediately felt he had done the song better justice than them), but the two guys from Badfinger who wrote it (and wisely committed suicide well ahead of this "Ken Lee" performance).

Yeah, I'm well aware that Nilsson didn't write it, but he had the big hit.

Badfinger sure turned out to be a tragic mess.

[Pilgrim]

Reminds me of the traditional exchange in Americanized German:

"Donkey shins"
"Buy the shirt"

[uwe]

"Buy the shirt" = Bitte schön?

With language training such as this, no wonder those POW escapees never got far!

[SKATE RAT]

the European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troub lesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as
replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas 

[Pilgrim]

"Buy the shirt" = Bitte schön?

As Pogo might say, Exactiwockily.

[rahock]

Iron Butterfly pulled it off with "In La Gadda Davidda" when massive amounts of alcohol slurred the intended vocal line of "in the garden of eden".
However, I've got a strong feeling that the" Ken Lee" bit will not be met with the same level of success

Rick