Sunday, December 21, 2008

For my next song, I'd like to do "Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis."....

Hey Charley I'm pregnant, And living on 9th Street,
Right above a dirty bookstore, Off Euclid Avenue
And I stopped takin' dope, And I quit drinkin whiskey
And my old man plays the trombone, And works out at the track
Tom Waits

Ho-Ho-Ho, You're on stage ... at airport karaoke by Monica Rhor (AP)

HOUSTON – Tis the season for red-capped Santas and red-nosed reindeers. Sleigh bells ringing and snowflakes glistening. Stockings carefully hung and yuletide carols being sung ... in an airport terminal. With a karaoke machine. Ho-ho-ho, hold that flight. There's a holiday surprise for travelers — and aspiring performers — passing through Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport this month. There it is, just past the security checkpoint, set atop a small stage: a karaoke machine adorned with Christmas lights and stockings shaped like cowboy boots. There's even a team of Christmas elves — airport employees the rest of the year.

"A little holiday karaoke while you wait? It's fun and it's free," cooed Ashley Thompson. "You could be a star." This is the first year the airport has included holiday-themed karaoke among its array of seasonal musical entertainment, which includes school choirs and local bands. The karaoke booth is being set up five times around the airport this month. On a Thursday morning just after a rare snowfall had frosted Houston, the holiday spirit — or perhaps, the thrill of performing in front of strangers — was strong among airport employees and travelers with time to kill. One after another, crooners stepped up to the microphone and belted out holiday classics — each putting their own mark on the melodies.

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