Well, dear readers, it has been hot and muggy and also muggy and hot here in Los Angeles, California. I have even had to use the air conditioning in my automobile, something I rarely do. Yesterday it was quite overcast with gray skies, yet it was still hot and muggy, not necessarily in that order. What am I, a weatherman all of a sudden? What kind of fershluganah opening to these here notes is this?
Last night I picked up region 2 DVDs of Mr. Samuel Arkoff’s classic production, How To Make a Monster and Mr. Bert I. Gordon’s film, The Spider (aka Earth vs. the Spider). Full-frame transfers, a bit worn, but still nice to have. How to Make a Monster features a song that we included on our new album, You’ve Got to Have Ee-oo. I also picked up Popeye. I saw Popeye on its opening day at the Grauman’s Chinese. I lasted exactly twenty minutes before I walked out in a huff. I thought it was one of the all-time worst movies ever made. Whatever merits the Jules Feiffer script might have had were totally killed and mangled by Mr. Robert Altman, who was just the worst possible choice as a director. The first twenty minutes were so bad that I sat in the theater not believing that such a thing could even get a release. But, over the years, various people have said the film is wonderful and so I decided to see if time has been kind to it. It hasn’t. The first twenty minutes brought it all back – it’s so inept directorially on just about every level (despite some good casting) – there are times when you can tell that Feiffer’s script had some good things in it, but oh my, it’s practically unwatchable. I did make it to the half-hour point this time, and I will try my best to finish it, but in my opinion (IMO, in Internet lingo) it’s an appalling waste of celluloid.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below for I fear that these here notes are becoming hot and muggy.
I know that several of you dear readers went to read the latest entry in Juliana’s Journal yesterday and yet the latest entry was not up. There was a slight misunderstanding, I guess, and it will be up today so check it out. And also keep checking out Donald’s “Best of” radio series, so you can catch up on shows you might have missed. Also, our Unseemly Live Chat will be tomorrow evening at six o’clock Pacific Mean Daylight Savings Time, so be there or be round.
Last night I had a lovely and sparkling supper with Mr. Charles Pogue and his lovely and sparkling wife. We went to Musso and Frank and we closed down the joint. Mrs. Pogue and I had the Combination Louie, which was, as always, yummiliscious. Yes, Virginia, you heard me – it is yummiliscious. It consists of shrimp, crab and lobster and although it doesn’t look like that much food, it is, I can assure you, most filling. Mr. Pogue had my favorite dish, the Pounded Steak with Country Gravy. Then Mr. Pogue and I had the Bread Pudding for dessert. I must say that dinners of this sort are amongst my favorite things to do – to dine and converse with smart, funny people – well, it is just scintillating, oh, yes, it is just scintillating.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must go hither and thither and definitely yon, I must do errands and catch up on things that need catching up on, I must write and I must watch some movies on DVD. Today’s topic of discussion: It has been announced that Mr. Sam Mendes will be helming a film of Mr. Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. If such a thing should actually come to pass, who would you cast in it, if you had your druthers? I’ll check back to see your excellent posts, so post away, my pretties, and let’s not have this be a dreary old weekend – let’s keep up the lively and sparkling doings that we have been doing.