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November 29, 2004:

RARIN’ TO GET CRACKIN’

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, here we are on a Monday, and I’m rarin’ to go, I’m rarin’ to get crackin’, I’m rarin’ to meet the week head on or, at the very least, leg on. I intend to write all the live-long week, and I also have a meeting with the producer of the film I rewrote (he’s also interested in bringing What If back, and we’ll be talking about that as well). I also have a dental appointment to finish the last bit of redoing my old cavity. I also have many things to attend to this week in preparation for both my Saturday signing (I’ve begun choosing the bits to read, and I’m afraid that those who are faint of heart in terms of language will have to close their ears for certain portions), and my New York sojourn. I’ve booked transportation to the airport and my plane and hotel reservations are booked as well. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?

At about four-thirty yesterday afternoon, I decided to get in my motor car and take a trip to Amoeba, the record store, in Hollywood. This was a bad mistake. I knew it was a bad mistake as traffic slowed to a standstill as I approached Highland. The off-ramp was closed, and as soon as I saw the sign I remembered that the Hollywood Christmas Parade was about to take place. I knew then there would be no going to Amoeba. The Cahuenga and Vine off-ramps were also closed. I finally got off at Gower. This was a bad mistake. Traffic was backed up all the way to the freeway off-ramp. I changed directions and went up to Franklin and went east. I ultimately had to go all the way down to Western and even that was a nightmare going south until one got to Melrose. We’re talking about jammed traffic for a ten-mile radius. Horrible. I was so disgusted I just drove all the way across town and went to Tower Records on Sunset. There I found an additional French reissue of a Mancini score, this to Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’ve also found out that there are reissues for The Party and The Pink Panther as well, and I’ll have to order those online. There have been many CD issues of these scores over the years, both domestic and import, and none of them has sounded especially good. These French reissues are the real deal – superb 24 bit mastering, and with sound restored to crystal-clarity. In fact, they’re amazing and if you love these albums I’d recommend seeking them out, even though they’re pricey at 19.99. The Mr. Lucky CD was especially breathtaking and it includes an entire extra album as a bonus, Mr. Lucky Goes Latin which is also a fantastic album. Hatari also sound amazing – these were wonderfully produced albums. It is a shame that the actual soundtracks to these Mancini scores have never been released.

I then drove back to the home environment and tried to watch A Christmas Carol. As I’ve said, I like the score and didn’t much care for the production at Madison Square Garden. But the TV version just didn’t do it for me at all, not in any way, shape, or form. I’m not a fan of its director, and most of my problems began and ended there. As I said in a post last night, it really makes you appreciate how good the musical film Scrooge is.

I seem to be going from one topic to the next, willy-nilly and also nilly-willy. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m rarin’ to get these notes up and posted.

Have I mentioned that I’m rarin’ to go? Have I mentioned that somehow November is already at an end with just one count them one day to go? Then we’ll be in December, a month with many birthdays to celebrate, including mine own.

Don’t forget to let elmore know if you’re planning to attend our little hainsies/kimlets get-together after the signing on Monday evening, between nine and nine-thirty at Joe Allen. If that’s not doable for some, we’ll also be meeting one other time, so perhaps anyone who can’t come that day will come to the other meeting. Rather than book a show, I’m going to try and see as many people as I can whilst I’m there. It’s been way too long since I’ve been back, and I miss many of my friends. I’m sure it will all be too too.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must write, I must eat, I must attend to things that need attending to, for I am rarin’ to get crackin’, to get goin’, to meet the day head on, foot on, and kneecaps on. Today’s topic of disussion: Has anyone noticed that I just typed “disussion” instead of “discussion”? What in tarnation is a disussion I’d like to know? What a difference a “c” makes. In any case, today’s topic of disussion: What are your favorite Christmas movies, books, and plays? We’ll save songs for when we get closer to the actual event. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, for I know you’re rarin’ to get postin’ and we’ll have loads of lively disussions going on all the livelong day and night.

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