Well, dear readers, here it is, the middle of the night and I cannot sleep. So, here I am, sitting at my handy-dandy laptop computer writing these here notes when I should be fast asleep, getting my beauty rest. I don’t know why I can’t sleep – I woke up at three in the morning and tried to go back to sleep but sleep wasn’t having any of the likes of me. Therefore I cannot promise that these here notes will be in any way coherent. Not that these here notes are in any way coherent most of the time.
We had a lovely time at our signing/reading at Dutton’s in Brentwood last night. A small but fun turnout. I’m told that this is the norm for booksignings these days, save for the biggest of celebrities. Why it is the norm rather than the steve or the bill, I have no idea, but the norm it is. What happens is that many people tell you they will be there, and so you don’t worry about what size crowd will show up, and then eighty percent of the many who told you they would be there don’t show up, just like that. They just don’t show. They don’t call, they don’t write and they don’t show. If I knew they weren’t going to show, I would have made sure to keep getting the word out, but when I’m told that thirty or forty people will be there and I also know that the store couldn’t hold many more than that, then I stop getting the word out. Well, fie on those people. Phut to those people. That’s just not nice. And I do hope those people, many of whom I support on a regular basis (I will go anywhere anytime to support my fellow friends and artistes – I am known for this), will not be in further need of my support because they won’t be getting it. I know that this sounds harsh, but the moon is a harsh mistress. What am I, Jimmy Webb all of a sudden? The moon is a harsh mistress? Well, I don’t know about the moon, but I am a harsh mistress and that’s all there is to that. In any case, I read aloud from the book, and then we all retired to the patio where we partook of Cissy Wechter’s famous bundt cake (both chocolate and lemon), chips, cheese and crackers, wine and Diet Coke. To those who came, my hearty thanks – to those who didn’t, well, the moon is a harsh mistress, baby, and don’t call me, I’ll call you.
I watched a tape of Sunday night’s episode of The Sopranos. Can someone please inform me as to why Mr. James Gandolfini was not even nominated for an Emmy? Can someone just inform me of that? Was anyone from this show nominated? In any case, Sunday’s episode was as good as I’ve seen for this most excellent show. It included a very wicked and funny turn by Linda Lavin as a therapist that Meadow (Jamie Lyn Sigler) goes to. Miss Sigler does get on my nerves a bit with her typically teen voice-rhythms, but it suits the character, I suppose. And the lady who plays the sister of James Gandolfini is so good that I’d like to throw a brick at her – one simply hates that character (which means that the character is working). My only question is this: It appears to me that Miss Edie Falco has had some work done on her face – she doesn’t look quite the same as the first two seasons. Why do people do this? Perhaps I’ll have some work done on my face. Perhaps I’ll have big lips and be stretched to the left and right until I’m a grinning gizmo.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button right now. After all, the moon is a harsh mistress and doesn’t look kindly on those who do not click on the Unseemly Button below.
I will be leaving for Minneapolis on Friday, but it’s a very short trip and I’ll be back Sunday morning. Then, shortly thereafter I will head to New York, New York, where we will have our lovely Hainsies/Kimlets bash. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
The searchers were back in force yesterday, searching for all manner of interesting things. I really do wish that some of these searchers would just come right out and post – then we could help them find what they are looking for and save them the trouble of having to wade through a plethora of notes. It is amusing to see some of these searchers flailing about like beached whales, trying to find this or that. I do know that some of our regular dear readers use our Unseemly Search Box, and I encourage you to do so. But these other searchers are very easy to spot, and as I said, I do wish they’d just come out with it and then we could help them with their apparently never-ending quests. The final thing I would like to say to those searchers (and you know who you are) is the moon is a harsh mistress – don’t mess with the moon. What the hell am I talking about?
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must go on the freeway and drive to work, where I will work all the livelong day. You must keep the posts up because I need good reading material during the day. You must do your bit because it helps lighten the day. Today’s topics of discussion: Name your favorite Jimmy Webb songs. I’ll start – Up, Up and Away, By the Time I Get To Phoenix, Wichita Lineman (I love that song), the entire A Tramp Shining album (which includes Didn’t We and MacArthur Park) and a good deal of The Yard Went on Forever album. I also love All I Know. Your turn. Second topic of discussion: Let’s say we’re going to do a revival of West Side Story. The haineshisway.com revival of West Side Story. Put together the worst possible cast of currently working Broadway, film and TV people that you can think of.