Boston Pops Announces Judy Garland YouTube Sing-Along "National Choir"

The Boston Pops writes us today to invite JMG readers to participate in a Judy Garland tribute. Post a YouTube clip of yourself singing Over The Rainbow and you may be featured in their "national choir collage" to be played at Boston Pops performances all this season.

To pay respect to the shared cultural heritage of the American Songbook, the Boston Pops is asking for video submissions of fans singing “Over the Rainbow” for inclusion in a video collage to be shown at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. Voted number one on the RIAA and NEA’s “Songs of the Century” list, Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” is an American Songbook selection that unites generations and ties the 2011 Spring Pops Season together—from the Opening Night Judy Garland tribute to the finale “Triple Crown” performance celebrating America’s Heartland. The signature Boston Pops sing-along has long been an audience favorite, so this year the orchestra is opening the sing-along to a national choir. Participants of all ages can submit video of themselves singing “Over the Rainbow,” by adding a video to YouTube and emailing a link and contact info to overtherainbow@bso.org. Videos will be featured on the Boston Pops YouTube channel, on the Boston Pops website, and at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. All video submissions are due by Saturday, April 26, 2011.

There's more than a few of you that I'd love to see do this.

Over The Waxen Rainbow

Just in time for gay pride, this week the Hollywood location of Madame Tussaud's unveiled their wax statue of Judy Garland.

The June 8 ceremony in the forecourt next to Grauman's Chinese Theatre happened two days before what would have been Garland's 88th birthday. MC of the event was Jack Allen, writer and historian, with an extensive background on the Hollywood film industry. There was a special appearance by actress famed actress Margaret O'Brien and Garland's co-star in "Meet me in Saint Louis." Following the figure unveiling, [Munchkin Jerry] Maren and O'Brien held a photo and lollipop signing in the courtyard where fans were able to purchase photographs and have them signed by the stars themselves. Ranked by the AFI (American Film Institute) as one of the ten most popular film actresses of all time, Judy Garland is an American original. Literally born in a trunk to a show business family, Garland rose to become one of the 20th century's greatest entertainers, famed for both her live stage shows and movie appearances, including the unforgettable character "Dorothy" in "The Wizard of Oz."

Click over to Broadway World for lots of photos of the waxen Judy and the unveiling ceremony.

The Oldest Living Munchkin Is Really Most Sincerely Dead At Age 94

Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Coroner of Munchkinland in The Wizard Of Oz, has died at the age of 94. He was thought to have been the oldest living Munchkin.

Raabe was 23 years old when he appeared in The Wizard of Oz as Munchkinland’s coroner. During his brief speaking role, Raabe proclaimed the death of the Wicked Witch of the East by singing: “As coroner, I must aver/I thoroughly examined her/And she’s not only merely dead/She’s really, most sincerely dead!”

Raabe regularly appeared at movie conventions and in 2007 he attended the ceremony awarding the Munchkins a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.