"Genius: A Night For Ray Charles"

[Mike P]

Well, what did you think? I enjoyed it.

The highlight for me was "Night Time Is The Right Time" by Elton John & Mary J. Blige. I'm not an Elton John fan and I'm not that familiar with Mary J. Blige. The girl did the best Margie Hendrix imitation I've ever heard. She did a great job on "Come Rain Or Come Shine" as well. I never paid any attenion to her because I thought she was just a rapper. Shows what I know.

It was nice seeing and hearing David "Fathead" Newman on national TV.

Another highlight for me was B. B. King & Billy Preston singing Lowell Fulson's "Sinner's Prayer." (Ray covered Lowell on this one.)

Al Green and Stevie Wonder weren't bad.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Ray Charles movie.

[Ron Thorne]

I enjoyed it, but it did seem much like a poorly-disguised hour-long ad for the movie.

I agree that Elton was on-the-money last night, but don't have quite the same negative feelings as David with respect to Norah Jones. Her face makes me overlook much, though. I'll grant you that.

Was it just me, or did Al Green forget or change the arrangement? What an awkward ending.

If Norah was "the low point of the show", what was Usher? Can he buy some soul? Hell, Kenny Chesney blew him away.

[Dibble]

Not sure if I will get to watch this in the UK..hope so but will certainly go to see the flim

[BlueMiles]

What channel was this on?

Also, I'd like to know if anyone has heard Ray Charles playing Monk. Jamie Foxx keeps telling the story of he and Ray playing some unspecified Monk together and how he (Foxx) couldn't handle it.

I know that jazz was part of Ray's huge musical personality. In fact, not that long ago I heard him as a sideman on a Steve Turre album (piano only), but for him to play Monk...interesting.

[Gentle Giant]

I thought the good Reverend was firing on all cylanders. The latter part of the tune might not have gone off the way it was rehearsed but I chalk that up to him getting the spirit and whooping it up. Man, that cat's voice is unmatched and he can still do amazing things with it. Killed me to miss him in Boston last week, although according to the review (which was very positive) he only played for an hour.