Well, dear readers, you won’t believe what happened yesterday – I could barely believe it myself. We have all been working like crazy on this television program – many pieces have gone to the hosts of the show who have a lot of input into the way things will be presented. All of them have come back with many notes, many changes and many voice-over changes as well. The first piece that I basically have nurtured from the beginning (actually someone else had done a pass, but it was totally unusable and I started it from scratch) got sent to our hosts on Friday. The producer of the show bought everyone lunch today and read us the note from our hosts – they thought the cut was a “masterpiece” and for the first time they requested not a single change. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too? They said they loved every minute of it, and I must say it felt very good indeed to hear. Of course, while I would love to take all the credit, I had excellent notes from our producer, and excellent notes from my pal David, and the piece, which was good to start with, just got better and better (there were two sets of notes – not that difficult to address). It’s little things like that that make these eleven hour days a bit more bearable. Now the trick is to make it happen a second time. I must admit, however, that I had pretty good footage to work with, and that always makes things easier. Anyway, I just thought I’d share that with you.
Do you want to hear something funny? Okay, then, I will tell you something funny – well, it’s not exactly funny, in fact, it’s quite pathetic really. My friend Joan Ryan sent a mass e-mail to her friends saying she’d moved and giving her new address. Now, Joan Ryan moves a lot, this is what she does. So, I clicked on “Reply All” and wrote the following one-liner: Is there anyone who moves as much as Joan Ryan? That is all. I quickly got a response from Lisa Richard and my pal Doug Haverty, both of whom took the comment in the tongue-in-cheek fashion it was meant. Then I began to get other e-mails from people on her list, and these e-mails were so offensively vitriolic, as if I’d called Joan a Nazi or something – I mean, you’d think I was a serial killer. Perhaps you think I’m exaggerating, but I am not. They were vicious. I can’t believe there are that many friends of Joan Ryan who are so without a sense of humor that they would react like utter cretins. I spoke to Joan this evening and told her all about the responses and even she couldn’t believe it. I’ve forwarded each and every one of them to her, and since ninety-percent of them are “in the business” I told her to tell them they’d never be working with me. I mean, honestly, what kind of world are we living in when people react this way to a silly one-liner which was obviously meant with humor? It’s nauseating, frankly.
Well, that’s enough ranting – why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below so I can get on with these here notes in high style – for example, calypso pants and sandles.
I don’t know why, but this morning I am finding it difficult to get my bearings. In fact, I can’t even find my fershluganah bearings. In fact, I don’t even know what the hell my bearings are. What are bearings? First of all, do bears really wear rings? We don’t allow groaning here at haineshisway.com. In any case, I’m finding it difficult to get my bearings. I still haven’t even fully opened both eyes yet. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I am typing these notes with one eye closed on account of not having gotten or found my bearings, whatever the hell they are. What the hell am I talking about?
Well, we didn’t have many guesses to our handy-dandy Unseemly Trivia Contest question, but the three we had were all correct. Here was the question:
A classic play by a great playwright, it was directed by an Academy Award-winning director. In addition to its three over-the-title stars, the cast featured four other very interesting people who would go on to have very interesting careers. One of them would go on to become a major motion picture star. One of them would go on to become the star of a beloved seventies television series. One of them would go on to become a very well-known character actor in both film and television (this person also starred in a well-thought-of sixties television series). And one of them would go on to direct a classic musical and a classic play.
Name the classic play by the great playwright.
Name the Academy Award-winning director.
Name the four cast members.
And the answers are:
The classic play and great playwright: The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder.
The Academy Award-winning director: Elia Kazan
The four cast members: Montgomery Clift, Dick van Patten (Eight is Enough), E.G. Marshall (The Defenders) and Morton da Costa (The Music Man and Auntie Mame)
Congratulations to our High Winners, Mr. Michael Shayne, Mr. Steve Gurey and Mr. Mark Rothman. And our handy-dandy Electronic Hat has randomly chosen Mr. Mark Rothman as our high winner.
Has anyone noticed that my bearings are not anywhere to be found? Damn them, damn them all to hell.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must find my bearings, for example, for without one’s bearings where is one? In fact, without one’s bearings where is two, or even three? Don’t forget, tomorrow is Ask BK Day, so let’s get your excellent questions ready. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite songs by two wonderful songwriters – first, Rupert Holmes, then Craig Carnelia. I’ll join in the merriment later when my other eye opens. Now, here’s the deal – it is October 29 – we need a big (and I mean big) Hainsies/Kimlets push to the end of the month. We need lots and lots of posts and lots and lots of traffic at this here site, so that our monthly statistics rise accordingly. We must have statistics that rise accordingly – the traffic has been very good this month, I am not complaining, but do let’s give it the old college try, let’s do one for the gipper, so if you don’t want to or can’t participate in today’s topic of discussion, then talk about whatever you like. I shall be back in a bit to check on things. If checks aren’t acceptable, I’ll be back to money order on things.