Old habits die hard. Janice Chan Pui-yee (left) might not be a Cable TV entertainment-news reporter anymore, but she certainly grilled Harry Connick Jnr (right) like she still was one. As emcee of his CD showcase at MO Bar on Tuesday, Chan peppered the 'N'awlins' singer with question after question, preventing him actually starting his set. After about 10 minutes, impatient fans were heard muttering, 'Enough already, let him sing!' Even the laid-back performer got a little antsy. 'I feel like I'm on one of those dating shows,' he said after Chan finally realised she had 'talked too much'.
Chan did, however, get a reaction from a number of French guests who tittered excitedly when she asked Connick about working with the French first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. 'I was blown away by how talented she was,' he replied. 'And I got the added bonus of meeting the president. In the US, presidents don't just wander into recording studios. President Sarkozy escorted her and I was really impressed with his accessibility. He couldn't have been more accommodating.'
Eventually, he got down to the music from his new album Your Songs, reworking numerous classics such as All The Way, And I Love Her, Close To You and Mona Lisa into jazzy ballads for a half-hour set.
