Well, dear readers, here it is, Friday, and tomorrow is my very first Writer’s Block signing. I do hope many of our West Coast hainsies/kimlets will be in attendance. There will be cake and Diet Coke and I shall read naughty words. And then on Sunday I shall be on my way to New York, New York for Monday’s party and signing. I do hope many of our East Coast hainsies/kimlets will be in attendance. There will be cake and Diet Coke and I shall not read naughty words or any words, for that or any other matter. Yesterday I had much to attend to – for example, I had to ship myself a box to the hotel in New York so that it will be there upon my arrival. I had to ship some packages to various and sundried people, and then I picked up three count them three royalty checks for the three Kritzer books (I can buy a good-sized meal at McDonald’s). I’m actually looking forward to the first royalty check on Writer’s Block, because stores are really ordering it and it should be a nice chunk of change. Then, last night I attended a musicale at John Burroughs High School in the Bank of Bur. My friend M’Lisa MacLaren’s daughter Caitlin was in the show – she’s a spectacularly beautiful young girl, much as her mother was back when I first knew her. M’Lisa appeared in my musical Feast and also in Stages, and can be heard on the latter’s cast album. In any case, I am always very moved when talented youngsters give their all, and these kids were terrific. The first half of the show was all traditional Christmas music sung by various-sized choirs. The second half was a tab version of The Nightmare Before Christmas, which was very cute and fun to watch. Then I came home and sat like so much fish.
I also watched a motion picture entertainment on DVD entitled The Terminal, un film de Steven Spielberg. I didn’t know much about the movie other than I hadn’t wanted to see it at all based on the ad campaign. Normally, I go right out and see any Spielberg film, but the ad campaign just told me nothing and it had no element that made me want to get to a theater to view it. The film was not successful at the box-office (even with the inflated figures it so obviously posts, it is a clear loser), and even less successful with most critics. Audiences couldn’t have cared less. So, it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch it. Well, despite its many faults, I really enjoyed it. Mr. Spielberg is a filmmaker in the classic sense – he doesn’t tart up his films to be hip, he doesn’t load the soundtrack with a bunch of superfluous songs so that he can get a hit album, he just shoots the film and tells the story with a good deal of Spielbergian style. From everything I’d heard, I thought I would abhor Tom Hanks, but I thought he did a wonderful job in the film. Despite it’s two hour length, the film just zipped along. So, why isn’t it a masterpiece or even great? Unfortunately, quite a few reasons. The villain of the piece, Stanley Tucci, behaves in such silly ways and with no motivation for doing so, that every time he’s on the screen I wanted to bat him over the head. Spielberg doesn’t seem to be keeping on his screenwriters the way he used to – it’s a pretty terrible contrivance that a translator is never brought in to help the situation with Hanks’ character. The sub-plot romance of the food worker and the security gal, while sweet, gets too silly at the payoff. Catherine Zeta Jones isn’t so great and her character is strange. But, if one looks at the film as a gentle fable, one can forgive it its trespasses and just sit back and enjoy it – at least I could. In fact, even with its faults, it’s yards better than most of the junk I’ve seen this year. And I loved the score by John Williams and will now have to pick up the CD.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must practice for my book reading so I will not fumble about like a gazelle in a mosh pit.
Where was I? Oh, yes, I must not fumble like a gazelle in a mosh pit. Have you ever seen a gazelle in a mosh pit? Let me tell you, they fumble.
Today I am lunching with Mr. Kevin Spirtas – we’re going to chat about the act he’s putting together and I’m going to give him my two cents. I can only give him my two cents because frankly I won’t be able to get that McDonald’s meal if I give away any more than two cents from my three royalty checks.
I am in dire need of a massage, but I will not be able to do anything about it until my return from New York, New York. I will then treat myself to a heavenly massage.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must drive about in my motor car doing various and sundried things, I must rehearse for my reading so that I do not fumble like a gazelle in a mosh pit, I must lunch, and then I must do a bit of writing as well. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, a whole slew of things including the new Chaka Khan standards album (there are a few nice tracks, but overall I can’t recommend it), the new Tony Bennett album (so far it’s just lovely – this is a man who knows how to sing standards – plus he’s got Johnny Mandel), and a couple of Deodato albums. DVD – just starting the Emmanuelle collection from Anchor Bay. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we ponder just how fumbly a gazelle in a mosh pit really is.