Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) Breakdown ~ BoTB Results

If you didn't come by to vote in the battle on November 15, well you missed out (but you can still check it out). What fun!

The song was Anything You Can You Do (I Can Do Better). If you've seen the play or movie, Frank and Annie are both excellent marksmen who work together for a time in a traveling show. Then ego gets the best of them and it's splitsville. During their separation they realize how much they miss one another, but they can't even get through their "I miss you and let's get back together" before they fight and this song happened (Anything You Can Do). If you recall from the first clip Annie was calling for a contest to happen on the following day to prove who was better once and for all before all the singing started.

It all sort of reminded me of my favorite episode from the iconic series Seinfeld. Without ruining it for you (I hope), the ending was much the same as well.





Frank, for very different reasons than Kramer, decided he was out of the bet. The entire show/movie is entertaining, so I highly recommend watching it! You won't be disappointed. Plus, the music is tops (written by Irving Berlin).

So, how did the voting shake out in this battle???

It was a bit confusing. My fault. Apologies. I think most of you were clear on the who sang it better versus the performance vote. If you only voted once, I credited both of your votes in the same place. For example, if you voted for Keel and Hutton without distinction I gave them a vote in both the song and performance category on your behalf and no vote at all for Frank or Annie. Speaking of the vote for Frank or Annie... that was the confusing part. What I MEANT was who won the battle the way that Irving Berlin wrote the song in your opinion, Frank or Annie? Or do you think he designed it as a tie? But your interpretation of what I meant was fascinating, so I let you run with it.

WHO SANG IT BETTER?

Keel & Hutton: 8
Barrowman & Henshall: 12 WINNER

These numbers include my vote, which was for Barrowman and Henshall. I think the movie version is A plus, so imagine my delight when I found the clip on YouTube of Barrowman and Henshall singing this song. I listened to many versions of this song thinking I was going to have to use something OTHER than the movie clip (because it would decimate everything else), and then I found this gem. And it was ON. Suddenly I had a battle. I think the voting from you guys reflects that as well!!!

WHO PERFORMED IT BETTER?

Keel & Hutton: 11 WINNER
Barrowman & Henshall: 9

These numbers also include my vote, which was again for Barrowman and Henshall. I had a tougher time on this decision than the other one. It was a neck and neck decision for me, and I almost went the other way on it. I just love the Barrowman/Henshall version so much. It's the one that makes me laugh. I can't tell you how many times I've watched it now. What I love, though, is that in both of these races the numbers were close, AND that one version won song while the other won performance. That really says it all about how much you guys loved BOTH of these offerings.

WHO WON? FRANK OR ANNIE?

Many of you just opted out of this one. Some of you got very specific. Not just Frank or just Annie. But Annie from the movie or Henshall's Annie. I love you guys. Seriously. You make my day more than you know. Poor Frank got his gun handed to him in this contest. Annie whooped him fair and square. 11 said Annie won. 3 said Frank won. Some of you had no opinion. I don't think anyone said it was a tie except for ME. I think it was a tie. I think that Irving Berlin wrote the song in such a way that was intended to leave the watcher feeling like they were equals at the end of the whole thing. Equally silly. Equally hot tempered. Equally pigheaded. Equally talented. And, in the end, equally in love. After all, who doesn't want someone who will outlove them in the end??? And that is Frank and Annie, unless they kill each other first!


So, what say you? Did you enjoy this battle of the bands? This song? The movie/play? I feel a bit like Frasier... but, talk to me... I'm listening. (Yeah, I know... this blog is turning into a sitcom. So not funny.)

Battle of the Bands ~ Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)

Well, peeps, my last Battle of the Bands was painful.




(You can thank me for that visual in the comments.)

So, I'm not going to sugar coat it. (I mean, you're too smart for that anyway.) We both know that sometimes I just don't put these things together well. I would've had a much better battle if I'd have put the Kate Bush original up against Greg Laswell. As it was, I ended up with a blowout. That ain't no fun. Honestly, I was so bored with it when I realized how it was going down that I just stopped checking on it. Plus, there were other things happening in the news that had me distracted. And there are always migraines.

Given all of those things, I realized I really wanted a FUN battle this time. I mean we NEED some fun. AmIRight?

Mom and I went with some friends to the dinner theatre this week to see Annie Get Your Gun. It's a musical that was made into a movie back in 1950. The music was written by Irving Berlin. If you haven't seen it, the most famous number is probably There's No Business Like Show Business. But, I really enjoyed the duet at the end sung by Frank and Annie: Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better). And that inspired my battle for this go-round.

In the spirit of FUN, you shall vote in numerous categories (which has never been done on this here blog).

BEST ARTISTS (SINCE IT'S A DUET)

BEST PERFORMANCE (SO THE VIDEO DOES COUNT)

WHO DOES IT BETTER? ANNIE OR FRANK

In the case of the latter, and only the latter, you can abstain or call it a tie. That would be the Annie vs. Frank vote. Why? Because I said so, and I can say it louder, softer, longer, and sweeter! ;)

First up is the movie version from 1950. Frank is played by Howard Keel and Annie by Betty Hutton. So, if you like this version it's a vote for Keel and Hutton.

The Sound of Musicals was a 2006 four part BBC series starring several different musical theatre actors and some other professional singers who performed acts from different musicals. Each week the standard cast was joined by a celebrity guest host who also performed their favorite numbers.It aired weekly (every Saturday) for four weeks starting Saturday 14 January 2006. In Episode One, John Barrowman and Ruthie Henshall sang Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better). If you like this version best, vote Barrowman and Henshall.



Okay, remember that there are multiple votes to be cast this time. The first vote is strictly for which couple SANG it best. The second vote is for which PERFORMANCE you enjoyed most. And the last (optional) vote is for who won the battle within the battle and who actually did it better... Annie or Frank. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!

For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles. I've stopped trying to keep up with who is running a battle and who isn't. To see who is participating, go here: Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog.