Happy Birthday, Dionne Warwick! Dionne turns 63 today.

Burt’s new holiday special, McCormick Presents Burt Bacharach Tribute on Ice, airs at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 20, on NBC. The special, which was taped earlier this year in San Jose, Calif., combines the musical talents of Bacharach, Aretha Franklin, James Ingram and Michael McDonald with the ice skating artistry of Brian Boitano, Ilia Kulik and Nicole Bobek. For more info, see the official press release announcing the show and this gallery of photos from the taping.

I can’t recall another holiday season with as many new potential gifts for Bacharach fans.

In addition to Burt’s new CD, Here I Am: Isley Meets Bacharach, Rhino Handmade has reissued two of Dionne’s finest collaborations with Bacharach-David, Promises, Promises and I’ll Never Fall in Love Again. This deluxe remastered set, which combines the two albums along with bonus tracks on a single disc, was released in an individually numbered limited edition of 5,000, so order now or you’ll be left wanting things. Readers also have three excellent, unique books about Burt and his music to choose from: Robin Platts’ Burt Bacharach & Hal David: What the World Needs Now, Serene Dominic’s Burt Bacharach: Song By Song, and, now, the most recent entry in the Bacharach book bonanza, Michael Brocken’s Bacharach: Maestro! The Life of a Pop Genius. And if you do buy one of the CDs or books, feel free to post your review in the Bacharach discussion forum.

I’ve finally added Alvina’s pics from Burt’s performance at the Saratoga Mountain Winery in August 2002.

Thanks, Alvina.

I added a great interview with Burt from the Nov.

26 Onion A.V. Club to the media page. An excerpt: “I’m making an album for Sony in England which will be more cutting-edge than anything I’ve ever done. It’s mostly instrumental. That’s what they want for this particular project. Not 10 hits. Or 10 attempts at hits.”

The Losers Lounge celebrates its 10th anniversary in Dece

mber with a special tribute to Burt Bacharach. The show, which takes place in New York City at Fez under Time Cafe on Dec. 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12, will feature 30 Bacharach compositions–both famous and obscurities–performed by an all-star lineup of New York music scenesters. For more information, visit the Losers Lounge on the Web.

Here I Am: Isley Meets Bacharach was released Tuesday by DreamWorks Records. This collection of Bacharach-David songs—newly arranged by Burt and sung by the great Ron Isley—has the timeless feel of an instant classic. I had the good fortune to attend Bacharach and Isley’s New York showcase performance Tuesday night, and I’ve posted a brief recap of the show and a gallery of images. My thanks go out to Linda Dozoretz, Allison Ravenscroft and Sue Main.

I added a gallery of photos from September’s Burt Bacharach Tribute On Ice. The television special–which also stars vocalists James Ingram and Michael McDonald and a cast of world-class figure skaters–will air on NBC in December.

Here I Am: Isley Meets Bacharach, Burt’s new record featuring the great Ron Isley singing the classic songs of Bacharach & David, will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Burt and Ron will be performing songs from the record backed by a full orchestra at two special showcase concerts: On Thursday, Nov. 6, in Los Angeles and on Tuesday, Nov. 11, in New York.

A limited number of tickets will be available for each. Burt and Ron are also scheduled to appear on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on the night of Wednesday, Nov. 12.

This (great) news was posted by NYMusicalsGuy in the Bacharach Discussion Forum:

Hope everyone here is aware of the latest new Bacharach offering. Following new songs for Cilla Black (“Beginnings,” BB & HD’s first show song since “Promises, Promises”) and Aretha Franklin (the slow-burn “Falling Out Of Love” from her brand new CD So Damn Happy), Burt and Dr. Dre have quietly leaked their first collaboration on jazz trumpeter Chris Botti’s new album A Thousand Kisses Deep. Entitled “The Last Three Minutes,” it’s a Miles Davis-style groove, slinking and insinuating over a hip-hop drum machine loop. Different stuff than we’re accustomed to from Bacharach or Dre (here billed as Andre Young, his real name), and rewarding precisely for that reason. The album also offers a cover of “The Look of Love,” for those interested.

The beginning of the Bacharach/Young collaboration should keep us all busy till Here I Am‘s eagerly anticipated release!!