Singing

There's so much to praise in the blissful Broadway revival of "Follies," which opened Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre on the heels of its numerous Tony nominations, but let's pay homage first to the sheer sophistication of the show itself. After experiencing "Follies" again - an adult entertainment if ever there was one - I flat-out refuse to accept any more jukebox substitutes. One doesn't often talk about architecture when writing about musicals, but the most impressive thing about "Follies," beyond Stephen Sondheim's bejeweled score, is the ingenious way it is constructed.

Last month, four of the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena's bosses decided to catch the Boss, so they used their government position to claim a luxury suite for Bruce Springsteen's sold-out stand there. The taxpayer-owned venue is in financial ruins, but the officials took their customary perks, enjoying Springsteen's blue-collar brand of rock 'n' roll from digs that included a private entry, spacious bathroom, kitchenette, lounge area and television screen. The 19 elevated seats, boxed off from the crowd, offered dead-on views of the stage for the officeholders and their guests.

Yes, we would certainly prefer watching "Matlock" (ABC) as opposed to "McKenna." "Matlock" is a great program and we never miss it. Good, clean and entertaining. We enjoy the segments where he (Andy Griffith) conducts the church choir and they sing the lovely hymns. Dorothy and Jerry Stromberg, Reseda

AURORA, Colo. - On May 2, D'Avonte Meadows, a 6-year-old with an infectious grin and rambunctious streak, was suspended for three days from Sable Elementary in suburban Denver for crooning "[I'm] Sexy and I Know It" to a girl in lunch line. The school declared it sexual harassment and told his parents that, because D'Avonte sang the same song to the same girl before, he is a repeat offender. The news media pounced. And Stephanie Meadows, D'Avonte's 29-year-old mother, gave her bewildered son, a special needs student, a crash course in birds, bees and sexual boundaries.

A Dec. 22 letter putting down Pia Zadora's concert took up more than six column inches (not counting her picture, which was fine; print as many pictures of her as you can). It was unfair. Why? Because what does the price of admission have to do with her singing? On New Year's Eve all shows raise their prices. What does a bad movie have to do with her singing? What does her money have to do with her singing? Lots of singing stars have money. I saw Zadora's concert last month at the Beverly and feel that she compares favorably with Streisand and Ronstadt.

Cherie DeCastro, the last surviving member of the DeCastro Sisters, the Latin singing trio that was a part of television history in Los Angeles, has died. She was 87. DeCastro died March 14 of pneumonia at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, said Alan Eichler, who was the DeCastros' manager. The sisters -- Peggy, Babette and Cherie -- rose from a flamboyant nightclub act in Cuba to find success in Las Vegas. They had a hit recording in 1954 with "Teach Me Tonight," which sold more than 5 million copies.

He became a familiar presence at memorial events after Sept. 11. Now tenor Daniel Rodriguez, New York's "singing policeman," gets top billing in "The Spirit of America Concert" (at 8 tonight on KCET). He'll be singing at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 30-31.

Singing Pirate led all the way to win the $31,000 allowance feature for fillies and mares on the turf Wednesday at Hollywood Park. Felidia, the favorite of the crowd of 12,960, finished three lengths back in second place but was disqualified for interference in the stretch and dropped to fourth. The stewards awarded the runner-up spot to Precious Metal, who finished 4 3/4 lengths behind Singing Pirate. Trained by Ron Ellis and ridden by Robbie Davis, Singing Pirate covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:41 2/5 for her second victory in five starts and her first at more than seven furlongs.

BONNIE RAITT "Nick of Time." Capitol. . The adult world Bonnie Raitt sings about is lightyears away from the black-and-white pains and pleasures of teen rock. It's where people run out of time, out of patience, out of love and out of luck, but never out of hope and compassion. In an album that's as eclectic emotionally as musically, Raitt moves gracefully from the silky R&B of the poignant title tune to the wise and sassy rock of John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love" to the heartbreakingly elegant balladry of "I Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again" to the Fabulous Thunderbirds-backed roadhouse blues of "The Road's My Middle Name."

AN award-winning Canadian music-maker, an effervescent homegrown trio and a zany newcomer add up to play-along, sing-along fun for preschoolers and their favorite adults in the second annual Summer Family Songfest at South Coast Botanic Garden.

There's a flicker of uncertainty in Danny Burstein's friendly brown eyes as he greets a reporter backstage at the Ahmanson Theatre, as if he half-expects her to step around him on her way into the dressing room of one of his "Follies" costars. "When I heard that The Times wanted to talk to me, I said, 'Are you sure?'" he says, after being persuaded that he, and not Ron Raines, Victoria Clark, Jan Maxwell,Elaine Page,or any of the show's other big guns, is meant to be the subject of this interview.

For the mad month of May, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has embarked on a wildly ambitious, slightly mad operatic mission. It includes a Walt Disney Concert Hall staging of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" next week and the world premiere of John Adams' large-scale opera-oratorio, "The Gospel According to the Other Mary," at month's end. The adventure began Tuesday night with a rare and important performance of Luciano Berio's elaborately operatic study...

"Zen and the Art of Punk Rock"? If anyone were utterly qualified to write such a book, it would be John Doe and his longtime musical partner and ex-wife, Exene Cervenka. On the heels of the recent release of their first duet album, "John Doe and Exene Cervenka Singing and Playing," the two express such a matter-of-fact, "accept life as it is" view that the founding members of X and its rootsy offshoot the Knitters often seem to have reached some level of enlightenment.

In a "Glee" two-step of sorts, stars Lea Michele and Kevin McHale became Los Angeles-area homeowners last month within a day of each other. Michele, who plays aspiring soprano Rachel Berry, bought a bungalow in Hollywood for $1.4 million. The one-story house, built in 1920, sits behind tall hedges and has a gated driveway. The updated home features French doors, an office, attic space, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. An outdoor dining pavilion includes a kitchen.

It wasn't exactly old times Thursday night when Simon Rattle finally, finally returned to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the first time in 12 years. Back then the L.A. Phil was a dispirited orchestra. Music director Esa-Pekka Salonenwas on sabbatical, and the orchestra was struggling with poor attendance. The completion of the long-delayed Walt Disney Concert Hall was another three years away and still controversial. Meanwhile, it would be two more years before Rattle, then 45, would become music director of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Gabriela Lena Frank's "The Singing Mountaineer" is fond, alluring music that sounds like a vivid memory of a place that doesn't exist. It was written for the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles-based Latin American folk/jazz ensemble Huayucaltia and given its world premiere at Walt Disney Concert Hall Sunday night as part of a program that focused on the choral music of Peru and Venezuela. The South American sound is usually pretty easy to identify. And 10 of the 11 works that Master Chorale music director Grant Gershon selected easily fit that bill.

I would suggest to Roseanne Barr that she sign up immediately with 6-year-old Christopher Lee Parker for national-anthem-singing lessons. MARY-GENE MARR Laguna Beach

New York City police officer Daniel Rodriguez, the "singing cop" who gained prominence when he performed at the Yankee Stadium memorial service shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, turned in his retirement papers Tuesday and said he will devote himself to music. "I'd like to dedicate myself to learning how much I can actually accomplish as a singer," said the 40-year-old Rodriguez. "I'm sad to leave because I really love the job, but I'm also happy to be moving forward."

Because it's Good Friday, and because we all need a pick-me-up after this morning's sour jobs data, here's yet another video of Warren Buffett doing his song-and-dance routine. This time, the venerable investor is singing "I'm only a Paper Boy" ... while dressed as a paper boy. Though he's no Kanye West, the billionaire clearly has his eye on show business. In January, he strummed a ukulele and crooned "I've Been Working on the Railroad" on Chinese TV. In 2010, he donned fake tattoos and a ratty wig to spoof Axl Rose in a Geico video (the insurance company is a subsidiary of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway)

Sporting goods stores might want to stock up on sleeping bags, mosquito spray and hiking boots. And grocers may want to boost their marshmallow supplies. With an improving economy, enrollment in summer camps nationwide is surging, forcing some camps to hire extra counselors and build bigger facilities. And many camps are filling up much faster than in previous years, with the remaining spaces going quickly. The growth in enrollment ranges from 5% to more than 30% among Southern California camps, with some camp directors saying they expect to reach capacity in the next month or so - nearly a month earlier than previous years.