So you think you can sing

Of course, my brother has Karaoke Revolution Volumes 2 & 3 and Karaoke Revolution Party for his PlayStation. Of course, my brother has a PlayStation. Our household currently has no game system, although the idea of a Wii has been floated on occasion. We'll see. But for now it is enough to know that going to my brother's means excitement and entertainment for the whole family.

On past visits, we have discovered the fun of Guitar Hero. This trip we discovered the joy and hilarity of Karaoke Revolution. And we very nearly got all of the family members involved in the fun. Actually, we did get all of the family members involved, we just didn't get all of the family members to sing. But all were partakers of the fun.

For those of you who know me, I want you to try to picture this: me boldly singing I Will Survive - that 70's disco paean of female resiliency and empowerment. Yes I did. In front of PEOPLE. The mental image is good for a chuckle, is it not? If not, try this one: Titus and I performing a poorly coordinated duet of You're the One that I Want (ooh ooh ooh, honey). Can you see it? In our defense, we didn't get to rehearse, so it is understandable that we got our lines mixed up. A LOT. But with a little practice and some black leather pants we could have rocked it!

I loved watching Emma, the self-proclaimed shy girl, microphone in hand, belting out the tunes. Did she know the songs? No. Did she care? Absolutely not! Tune? I don't need to know the tune of a song to sing it! Music doesn't scare me! She wiped the floor with me with her rendition of I Will Always Love You. My version - cringeworthy. Slightly disturbing was walking into the room and hearing my sweet little 8-year-old girl singing Papa Don't Preach. We quickly removed that particular gem (thank you, Madonna) from her approved playlist.

And then there is the man who has never met an audience he couldn't entertain. Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you, our host and headliner, my brother. First of all, you should know, the man cannot sing. Absolutely CANNOT. You might be inclined to be embarrassed for him, if he cared. He doesn't. I find it amusing that as a child he was in a choir. With him, much as it was with Garth Brooks before him, it's not about the singing ability, it's about the show. And we surely enjoyed the show. He worked the room, talked to the crowd, and embellished the lyrics here and there (for example, when singing The Joker, at the line, "I'm a smoker" he added, "not really," which tickled the children every time.)

Sure, it was a little awkward when he was singing Against All Odds, moving about the room, personally serenading each one of us in turn. My mom and I put up with it and we couldn't contain our laughter. My husband had to draw the line. Because your brother-in-law singing "You're the only one who really knew me at all" to you just crosses a little too far over the inappropriate threshold. But you've gotta love the guy's dedication to his craft.

Quite honestly, nobody in my immediate family can sing. Couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, so they say. My mother, secure and unapologetic about her lack of vocal talent, would not be persuaded to take the mic. But happily, we did manage to get my dad in on the action. The song? I Got You Babe, vintage Sonny and Cher. Awesome. If you met my dad casually, you would never guess, but the man is an entertainer. I've always known it. Watching him take my mother's hand (not inappropriate), singing, "Babe. I got you babe," was so perfectly hysterical!

I see a Wii Dance Dance Revolution in our future.