Well, dear readers, in one short week I shall be in New Jersey doing the Chiller convention, along with our very own Susan Gordon and a glittering array of celebrities. If you’re in the area I do hope you’ll come and say hello. I’ll have the complete dates and times and location for you on Monday. Did you know that every morning at eight o’clock I am awakened by the sound of sawing? Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, every morning at eight o’clock I am awakened by the sound of an electric saw and frankly I’ve had it with the fershluganah electric saw. They are doing work on a house across the street and down the block and I find it very annoying, this constant sawing. I’d go over there and tell them a thing or two but why bother since they wouldn’t hear what I was saying over the sound of their constant sawing.
Last night I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD – I got a boxed set of Studio Ghibli animes, so I could see what else I’ve been missing. I thought they were all films of Hayao Miyazaki, but only half of the eleven movies contained are by him. So, I watched Mr. Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, which, while not as wonderful as Kiki’s Delivery Service, was delightful. Then I watched a movie that dear reader Craig had recommended, Grave of the Fireflies, which is not by Mr. Miyazaki. Well, it turned out to be a rather devastating portrait of World War II in Japan and its effect on two children. It’s very somber, but by the end if you have a dry eye you are a better man than I, Gunga Din.
Have I mentioned that the constant sawing is driving me crazy? Day in, day out, the constant saw buzzes incessantly with the sound of sawing. I go to the hills for the sound of sawing, so I don’t need the sound of sawing in my very own neighborhood. I might just throw a radish at these people if they don’t stop soon. The joke is, of course, that the people who own the house are staying elsewhere until the sawing is finished. It’s only us in the neighborhood that have to suffer. Now, if I were the person doing the work I would not allow the workers to start before nine, but that’s just me.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because the constant saw is making it impossible for me to think clearly, and besides, don’t I have excellent questions to answer?
All right, then, let us answer the excellent questions without further ado, since said answers are a day late.
Jay asks why does matzoh taste so good at the first seder and so lousy by the end of Passover, eight days later? This is known as The End of Passover Matzoh Syndrome (TEOPMS, in Internet lingo). It can’t be helped really. I myself have never understood matzoh. The only way I can tolerate it is if it’s loaded with butter.
Jrand asks why young people come to an audition for a show, say South Pacific, and proclaim that not only are they unfamiliar with the show and don’t know any of the songs, they don’t even have an audition song prepared and can they just sing Happy Birthday because that’s what they let them do at high school auditions. This is known as the I’m Don’t Know Anything About the Show or Score So Can I Sing Happy Birthday Syndrome (IDKAATSOSSCISHBS, in Internet lingo). That particular syndrome is quite popular amongst they younger set.
William E. Lurie mentions that my only must-see TV show is The Sopranos and wants to know what TV shows of the past were must-see, and at what point did I stop watching most television on a regular basis. Oh, I had tons of must-see TV shows when I was younger – The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Perry Mason, The Name of the Game, Columbo/Banacek/Mcloud and many others. I stopped watching TV regularly around five years ago when I found it to inufferable to continue wasting my eyesight on series I couldn’t stand. Of the handful of network fare I’ve sampled since, I can only say it has not gotten better.
Pam asks four questions: Why is this night different from all other nights? Because this night we eat various and sundried foodstuffs that we normally would never eat in a million years, such as bitter herbs, charoset, and other items. How many matzohballs? One, always one. Carrots, yes or no? No. Where’s the afikomen? It was hidden well but found by Rebecca Redman hidden somewhere in her parents’ bedroom.
Ben asks how I feel about gefilte fish. I don’t mind freshly made gefilte fish like my Aunt Lily makes. It’s quite good with hot red horse radish on it.
OM Time asks if I’ve ever heard the song The Invisible Man by Alice Pearce? No, I’m afraid I haven’t.
The Invisible Man (whose song I have never heard – perhaps it’s an Invisible Song) asks what are my favorite film scores and are they all represented in the best possible way on CD? Well, I’ve listed some before, but The Best Years of Our Lives (could be better on CD), To Kill a Mockingbird (I’m not partial to either rerecording and would love to have a proper presentation of the original tracks on CD), North by Northwest (well represented), A Patch of Blue (well represented), Seconds (unavailable), The Accidental Tourist (well represented), Close Encounters (well represented), Once Upon a Time in America (well represented) and on and on.
Vincent Jan has the CD The Music of Bruce Kimmel which was released in 1989 on Colossal Records. What exactly was that label? Colossal was an off-shoot of Varese Sarabande – it wasn’t around very long – I think they put out around nine CDs, mostly obscure soundtracks, the last of which was Bed and Board by David Shire, if I remember correctly.
MattH asks what I thought of the TV version of The Music Man. Having heard the CD, I refused to watch it, knowing I would abhor it. And, from everything I heard, it seems I made the right decision. How about the Glenn Close South Pacific? I watched ten minutes, became nauseous, and turned it off.
S. Woody White asks if there are any words or phrases (like raincheck) that stand out in my mind as being strange and worthy of exploring from whence they came. Oh, just about every word in the English language. I used to dissect words regularly in One From Column A, and as to phrases, simply read either Benjamin Kritzer or Kritzerland and you’ll find them aplenty.
KT asks how many days during Passover do I last, not eating leavened foodstuffs? Well, I’m currently not eating bread at all so I guess the whole eight days.
Ray mentions that in the film commentary for The First Nudie Musical I said that the actor who fell over in the Dancing Dildos number actually lost consciousness for a moment, due to the concussive force of hitting the ground. How do we plan to rectify this situation in the stage version? I shall leave it to the costume designer, director and choreographer, who will all have to figure out a way for it to work eight times a week.
Kurt asks what musical I think would benefit from a new television production. I don’t think any musical would benefit from a television production as long as they produce and direct it in the way they have been. If someone talented were to do the adapting and directing, I’d like to see Company, Promises, Promises, A Chorus Line, etc.
Craig points out that the off-spring of actors and actresses frequently go on to become actors and actresses. And yet, the off-spring of authors and composers and lyricists who go on to become authors, composers and lyricists are very few (Mary Rodgers being a notable exception). Can I think of anyone else who’s followed in their parents’ footsteps? Well, the son of songwriter Jay Livingston, Dennis Livingston is a fine songwriter. Jerry Goldsmith’s son Joel also writes film scores, John Cheever’s daughter Susan is also a novelist, and I’m sure there are others, but not all that many.
Td asks aside from Fellini what other Italian filmmakers do I appreciate highly? Well, I’ve liked a few Antonioni films, one or two of Bertolucci, I love De Sica’s Miracle in Milan and The Bicycle Thief, I like several of Ett