Okay enough of that — This tribute DVD let me see part of what was going on, and this DVD truly portrays how much we have come together. And not just America, as it was quite awesome to see Celine Dion sing God Bless America, to see Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz singing along on those secondary hard-to-remember verses of America The Beautiful with Willie Nelson and everyone else. U2 and Sting’s performances from abroad. These parts let us know that the whole world was, and is, with us.

All the performances were great, …… Wyclef Jean was possessed by Bob Marley for Redemption Song. Neil Young’s Imagine was superb. Fred Durst and John Rzeznik took a serious note with Wish You Were Here and did a great job. Coming from the heart were Clint Eastwood, Robert DeNiro, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Dennis Franz, Jimmy Smits, Kelsey Grammer, Lucy Liu, George Clooney and Tom Hanks.

This DVD definitely is a keepsake.
Rating: 5 / 5

I only caught part of the original airing of “Tribute to Heroes” on TV.

Watching the whole thing for the first time on DVD was a moving experience, except when Enrique Iglesias showed up – I couldn’t help but wonder whether he was wearing false eyelashes and whether they would fall off.

I was saddened to see the Dixie Chicks on this DVD, not that they didn’t belong here. What made me sad was the memory of how strongly all Americans were united together at the time of the making of this Tribute. Not since December 7, 1941 had Americans felt so strongly about their country.

Tragically, this unity of spirit and purpose has proved to be all too brief, as just a year and a half later, the Bush administration used the faith and trust of the American people to plunge American troops into Iraq, against the wishes of the world, against any evidence that Iraq had a direct connection to 9-11, and having fooled everyone, including themselves, into thinking that the going would be quick, easy, and cheap.

As a result of their vocal oppositon to the Iraq war, the Dixie Chicks fell from grace, but have since rebounded again. Which is what makes me sad, to see them on this DVD, and to remember this moment in time when ALL Americans were united in a common purpose.

Finally, I just wanted to say that the part of the Tribute that I caught on TV was Fred Durst (from Limp Bizkit) and John Rzeznik (from Goo Goo Dolls) singing their version of “Wish You Were Here”. This piece was my favorite from the DVD. If you are a Pink Floyd fan, you will know that the lyrics and musical arrangement (with strings and voice reverb) are significantly different, but still very recognizably Pink Floyd. The new lyrics are really, really beautiful and appropriate, not only for this Tribute to Heroes, but for what has happened since. As the words are a bit hard to find (compared to the original version), here they are:

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold, steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

So, do you think we can change,
Everybody that hates,
Before it’s too late.
So proud to be free,
But who can we blame?
Don’t be ashamed,
Do you think we can change?

How I wish,
How I wish you were here,
We’re a world of lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
Year after year.
Running over the same old ground,
What have we found?
The same old fears,
Wish you were here.

We don’t need,
Need any more pain.
We just need to remain on the very same page,
So much to gain.
No more losing a friend,
We’re losing ourselves.
We just need your help,
So glad you’re here.

So glad you’re here.
Rating: 5 / 5

Halle Berry is wonderful in this movie
Rating: 5 / 5