Saturday 9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions.

Saturday 9: Diana (1957)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Legend has it that Paul Anka wrote this song about his favorite babysitter. In your younger days, did you make a little extra money as a sitter?
Oh yeah.  There was a family around the corner from our flat and I babysat for them all the time. They paid me 25 cents an hour.

2) Paul sings he doesn't care what "they" say about his love for an older girl. Have you ever had a romantic relationship that your friends or family didn't approve of?
My mother wasn't too happy with Walt when we started dating.  I can't remember why.  But she warmed up to him.

3) Paul was once a choirboy, singing with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir in Ontario. Have you ever performed with your church choir?
I was in church choirs for many years until we moved to Davis.  The choirs I sang in always did wonderful, complicated music and the Davis music was so boring, it wasn't fun to sing with them. As I've gotten older, I've lost my voice and couldn't sing even if I wanted to.

4) When Paul was 15, he left Ontario to find fame and fortune in New York. He had $100 in his pocket, a gift from his uncle. Tell us about someone in your life who who believed in you and encouraged you.
After my friend Gilbert died, I wanted to write a book about the next 10 years of the Lamplighters Theater Company, after the book we wrote about their first 25 years.  I wasn't sure I could actually do it, but Alison Lewis, who was the lead writer on the first book, convinced me I could and she talked the Lamplighters board of directors into letting me do it.

5) Paul seldom gets credit for one of his most familiar compositions: the theme to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Since Johnny retired in 1992, The Tonight Show has been hosted by Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon. Which of these Tonight Show hosts is your favorite?
None of them ever came up to Johnny's hosting and I never got involved in any of them and particularly didn't like Leno.  Now I watch Stephen Colbert instead of the Tonight Show.  Or watch it when the writers strike is over.

6) In 1978, Paul Anka hired Las Vegas' first female bartender for his restaurant, Jubilation. Where did you most recently dine out?
We went to Red Lobster for their "crabfest" on our anniversary in June.

7) In 1957, when "Diana" was a hit, Wham-O began producing Frisbees. The toy was a massive success, even outselling the hula hoop. Do you enjoy tossing a Frisbee?
I'm not very good at it, but it's fun. 

8) Also in 1957, the book Peyton Place was made into a blockbuster film. Book lovers often say that, no matter what, the movie is never as good as the book. Do you think that's true?
Oh very definitely and some movies ruin the book, like what Barbra Streisand did to "The Prince of Tides," one of my favorite books.

9) Random question: This Saturday, the treat's on Sam. Will you have buttered popcorn, caramel corn or cheese popcorn?
If it's freshly buttered popcorn, I'll go with the buttered.  If not, I'll take the cheese.   

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend! 

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