Broadway Barks with Bernadette Peters

Bernadette Peters is a national treasure. She should be her own National Park, or perhaps her name should be added to the Star Spangled Banner--we don't know how Bernadette should be honored but we know she should, so we'll leave that the Congress.

Bernadette is lovely, amazingly talented, funny, and not only loves pets but dedicates herself to improving the plight of homeless animals. She humbles us with her boundless energy. She is a founding member of Broadway Barks and recently hosted a star-studded adopt-a-thon in NYC's Shubert Alley.

The event was a huge success and included the likes of Lucie Arnaz ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"), Maxwell Caulfield ("Tryst"), Michael Cerveris ("Sweeney Todd"), Victoria Clark ("The Light in the Piazza"), Georgia Engel and Bob Martin ("The Drowsy Chaperone"), Eden Espinosa, David Garrison, and Carol Kane ("Wicked"), Shuler Hensley ("Tarzan"), and Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, and John Lloyd Young ("Jersey Boys"). The event also featured an auction of celebrity-autographed memorabilia.

You can learn more on CBSNews.com or visit Broadway Barks for more info.

BTW, as we researched this news item, we ran across an interesting article on Sun-Sentinel.com about a trio of teens who dedicate themselves to performing Broadway tunes. If you happen to know or see Shayne Leighton, give her an enormous hug for us! She said, "I want to be the next Bernadette Peters." Any teen with the taste and wisdom to utter these words in an era of Britney, Jessica, and Avril deserves all the praise that can possibly be heaped upon her young shoulders.

It's a bit sad but a lot heartwarming that the three teens are performing for audiences of 70-, 80- and 90-somethings and are receiving standing ovations. (Trust us, when you get standing ovation from 90-somethings that's really saying something!)

We certainly hope Shayne can succeed in her goal, and when she does, we hope she has as big a heart as Bernadette!