Well, dear readers, all your wonderful vibes and xylophones are helping so please keep ’em coming for the next two weeks – yesterday, they helped immeasurably. Over the next few days my home environment will be invaded by plumbers, Termite People, and fence menders, not necessarily in that order. I am also waiting on pins and needles and also needles and pins to get some important information. It’s not bad enough to just wait on pins or just on needles, no, I am waiting on needles and pins, which puts a lot of little holes in my butt cheeks. In any case, we’re hoping for a lovely September, now that September is upon us. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Last night I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled The Boston Strangler, starring Mr. Tony Curtis and Mr. Henry Fonda, and featuring a plethora of terrific character actors such as Mr. George Kennedy, Mr. Murray Hamilton, Mr. Hurd Hatfield, and Miss Sally Kellerman. I haven’t seen it since its original release – and I must say it’s quite a good little film. It’s one of Mr. Richard Fleischer’s better efforts and his split-screen technique really works well for the film. Mr. Curtis gives a terrific performance in the title role. The fact that he was not even nominated for a Best Actor award is one of the more shameful episodes in the Academy’s history. The transfer looks fine, anamorphically enhanced at 2:35. I then watched a bit of Mr. Jack Arnold’s classic High School Confidential. I must say, I abhor Republic Studios (or whatever they are), first released through Artisan and now through Lion’s Gate. Their product is incredibly shoddy – I don’t think there’s a worse studio or releasing organization. Even MGM, my other least favorite, occasionally gets it right. Republic has never, to my knowledge, gotten it right. The DVD box states clearly that the transfer is full-frame and that that is its original ratio. Of course, High School Confidential was shot in Cinemascope. However, the DVD box is incorrect, and the transfer is letterboxed, not quite at 2:35, but close enough. It’s not enhanced, and it appears to be an older transfer, perhaps even tape-based. But, at least it’s in something resembling its original ratio. The movie is a ton of fun.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, because frankly I’m on pins and needles and it’s quite uncomfortable.
Yesterday, I spent a few hours with our very own Mr. Grant Geissman, entering all the fixes for my book. Because of our musical revue, I have been very lax about finishing that work, but today I realized that I had to finish it. So, I stopped being lax and was ex-lax. It took much less time than I thought, especially because I made a few nips and tucks and moved one whole section closer to the end of the book. I’ll give it one more time through, we’ll do those corrections, and then it will be sent to the publisher. I’ll keep you posted on its progress.
Have I mentioned that I am on pins and needles? Today I must go to our theater to rehearse with Miss Tammy Minoff and our lighting designer (not to mention Jose). We’ll run the number at least six times to make certain Tammy is totally comfortable in it. Then tomorrow we’ll get there early and run it a few more times and then we’ll give it a whirl in front of our Thursday night audience.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must deal with various men and their various machines, I must try not to get crazy, I must try not to be on pins and needles too much, and I must also find time to eat a few items of food. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any question you like and we get to answer them any old way we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers, shall we?