Friday sees the release of the highly anticipated Zack Snyder-directed film Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Notably, the film will introduce Wonder Woman to DC’s cinematic universe as portrayed by Gal Gadot.
It’s hard to believe we haven’t seen a live-action version of Wonder Woman since Lynda Carter played the amazing Amazon 40 years ago in the Wonder Woman television series (save for a few scrapped attempts). Sadly, it’s been reported that Carter will not make an appearance in the film which is a shame, considering Lynda is as beautiful and vital as she was in the ’70s TV show. She expressed interest if she was asked and would have made an excellent Queen Hippolyta.
But, don’t feel too bad for Lynda Carter. She has been enjoying a musical career for several years now and is loving it.
In addition to recording and performing music, Lynda is also a voice actor for the video game Fallout 4, perhaps not so ironically playing a nightclub singer. She also wrote and recorded 5 songs for the game, one of which won an award for best video game song ever.
I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Carter last Saturday at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, where she kicked off her “Long-Legged Woman” tour. I had seen her there twice before, and each time was a thrill. The venue is intimate, so there is hardly a bad seat in the house. Imagine my surprise when the host guided us to our table right in front of the stage! I knew for a fact that soon I would be making eye contact with those piercing, beautiful, baby blue eyes (which I did more than once, by the by)!
Lynda kicked of the show with a cover of “Old Time Rock and Roll” and played a variety of music, including a cover of Duffy’s “Mercy” and even a song by Jason Mraz. She played a solid 90 minutes and is a much better singer than you might guess. We knew Wonder Woman could talk to animals but few know she can hit the high notes with the best of them.
She did songs by Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday. A particularly touching moment came when she dedicated “Spanish Harlem” to her mother. A particularly adorable moment came when she dedicated her song “Long-Legged Woman” to her long legs.
Lynda is very warm and engaging with the audience – very playful and friendly. She usually talks a little about Wonder Woman, though not this time. She clearly has a lot of affection for her band and talented back-up singers. Every bit the Wonder Woman.
I didn’t stay to get a chance to meet her as I had before. I think I scared her last time when I professed my lifelong love of her and made her sign my t-shirt (that I was wearing). Seeing Lynda in person is like an out-of-body experience for me, as I have adored her for as long as I can remember. Gal may be taking the reigns as WW – and I’m sure she’ll do just fine – but Lynda will be forever Wonder Woman.
I guess that’s it for this week’s #WonderWomanWednesday. I’d like to mention that I have the honor this weekend of being on a Wonder Woman panel alongside my esteemed Fanboy Comics Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon at WonderCon in downtown Los Angeles. The panel is Saturday, March 26th, at 11:30 a.m. in Room 502A. Stop by and say, “Hola!”
And, as always, be sure to check out the “I Am Wonder Fan” Facebook page and post, Like, and share!
