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April 25, 2003:

A NEW JERSEY STATE OF MIND

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, here I am in New Jersey. I don’t think I’ve been in New Jersey since the summer of 1969. I had a very nice flight (despite a very fidgety lady next to me), actually got a bit of writing done on the plane, arrived right on time, and was met by Richard Valley who drove me to the hotel. We had some dinner together and then I went up to the room and wrote some more. Then I did something I never seem to do anymore – I watched television. I watched as much as I could stomach of something called Survivor. I must say, “reality” television is not only for the birds it has more fiction in it than the fiction shows. I also saw snippets of something called Michael Jackon’s Personal Favorite Home Videos and that was as horrifying as any horror film I have ever seen. I then watched the Dixie Chicks on 20/20. I thought they were okay, but Diane Sawyer was so oily and the announcer was worse and there were commercial breaks of such length (one of them a whopping five minutes or more) that I could not believe that anyone anywhere puts up with watching this tripe. May we just talk about TV and movie announcers? May we just say that I hate them, with their sound-alike deep faux dramatic voices, nothing like the greats who used to do movie coming attractions – Art Gilmore and Les Tremaine. They had style and class – I don’t know who decided these guys were good at this, but it’s become the “thing” and every one of them sounds exactly the same and frankly I find it all revolting.

Because I was given some rather incorrect information about the Chiller show, today I’ll be sitting in my room, hopefully getting some writing done, but not doing the show. Originally I’d been told the show was all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which is why I decided to come home early Sunday morning, figuring two full days was fine. Well, unfortunately, today’s show doesn’t start until five o’clock. I would have booked this trip differently had I but known that, but I assumed (never assume) that the person who gave me the information knew from whence they spoke. I would have made arrangements to either stay in Manhattan last night so I could see the reading of The Night of the Hunter this morning, or something, but alas, here I will sit waiting until five o’clock.

The room is very nice here at the Sheraton Hotel, and I have quite a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline from my window. However, it took me forever to fall asleep because the room creaks. It just shudders from time to time, which I find annoying but what can you do about a shuddering room except grin and bear it?

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I want to take a walk and let the Maid Service do their thing.

What is it with people in hotel hallways? Is there some rule I don’t know about that requires people to speak really loudly in hotel hallways? Because they do, they speak really loudly as if they were trying to let each and every person in each and every room know what they were saying. Frankly, I don’t care what they’re saying and I wish they’d pipe down.

I shall, of course, have a full report on this evenings doings – there are quite a few interesting celebrities here for the show and it should be fun.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must hang out until five o’clock (actually, I’ll set up the table at four), I must do a bit of writing, and I shall call some friends in New York, New York. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your DVD/video and CD players? I’ll start – DVD, The Gunfight at OK Corral, which I recently finished and which I must say is not very good – very turgid and serious, written by the very turgid and serious Leon Uris. CD – I’ve been listening to the anime soundtracks of Joe Hisaishi, which I have really been enjoying. Your turn, and I’ll be back quite often to read your excellent posts, which really have been excellent in the last couple of days.

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