Well, dear readers, I hate to sound like a broken record or a broken CD or a broken eight track, but another week has flown by. Wasn’t it just last week that I was preparing to to the Ray Courts show? This weekend will be difficult for me because all I’ll be thinking about are the vocal sessions on Monday and Tuesday, and hence will, I’m sure, do my usual head trips on myself. Only this time, damn it all, I shall try my hardest not to. I shall also try my hardest not to yammer all weekend. I shall try to rest and only vocalize occasionally, so that I will be in fine voice to tell Mr. Haines what he must and must not do. I may even try to jog a bit so I can loosen up. I realized today I have to transcribe the lyrics to one more song – I’ll Take You Dreaming, which I don’t have the sheet music for. I’ll just put on The Court Jester and take down the lyrics, then I shall have proper copies of everything for the sessions. I shall also have to pick up all the actual sheet music, too, so we have it at the studio should we need to check any notes. Today Vinnie and Grant will finish importing into Pro Tools the six songs that they didn’t finish on Wednesday. Then, as far as I know, the horn date is still on Saturday – that should go fairly quickly, maybe just a couple of hours at the most. Finally, a steady supply of the best medicine around – your excellent vibes and xylophones will be much appreciated. I believe in our excellent vibes and xylophones, and I believe-uh in miraclesssss, oh, yes, I believe-uh in miraclesssss. Speaking of miraclesssss, I had a day much like every other day this past week. First I went to the doctor (well, that wasn’t like every other day, only like one other day), where I was given a shot in my left butt cheek. I then drove home, sat down at Ye Olde Computer, and wrote a few pages of the play I may or may not be writing. I find plays much more difficult than novels or short stories, or even screenplays. That is because it’s basically just talking – endless pages of talking. One must keep the talking interesting, and keep the plot moving, but you write and write and not many pages occur because you can fit a lot of dialogue on one page. I’ll keep mushing on, however. I then worked for an hour with Mr. Kevin Spirtas, going over the other two big medleys were doing. Well, they’re not so big now, since I cut them down to a reasonable size. Mr. Spirtas will be joining some other singers come Tuesday to provide some background vocals for a couple of tracks. I then ate some rather silly food – a couple of tiny roast chicken breasts from Gelson’s, which were kind of nauseating, and a few matzos with butter. And then quite a bit of low-fat Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Last night I watched one and one half motion pictures on DVD. The one-half motion picture was the other half of the one-half motion picture I watched the night before – Boccaccio 70. First up was the Luchino Visconti segment. It was a slight tale, but well told, and since it starred the incredibly beautiful Romy Schneider, well, how could it be anything but a pleasure. The final segment was Vittorio de Sica’s The Raffle, starring Miss Sophia Loren. Not great, but certainly entertaining, and Miss Loren is always delightful to gaze upon. I then watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Divorce, Italian Style. I seem to be in an Eyetalian phase right now. Divorce, Italian Style is a wonderfully funny black comedy directed by Pietro Germi and starring Marcello Mastroianni and an absolutely perfect supporting cast. It’s been oft-imitated, but no one has done it as well as Germi and company. It’s laugh-out-loud funny at times. The new transfer from Criterion is excellent. There are a whole second disc’s worth of extras that I haven’t even glommed yet.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I believe-uh in miraclesssss.
And now – Dino at the piano. I believe-uh in miraclesssss. What am I, Kathryn Kuhlman all of a sudden? My goodness, there is a name from the past. I used to love watching Miss Kathryn Kuhlman on Channel 13 here in Los Angeles, California, USA. That was all throughout the seventies, when local channels were fun, when there was no cable. I used to love shows like that – things that were taped on an inexpensive set, and whose advertisers were all local merchants (“for ribs, it’s Jerry’s Rib Joint, located in nearby Pomona”). Miss Kuhlman was a latter-day Aimee Semple McPherson, and she was a kick-and-a-half. She would sermonize, and then the camera would move in for a close-up for her signature line – “I believe-uh in miraclesssss.” And then, half-way through the show she would look at the camera and say, “And now – Dino at the piano.” Then we’d be treated to Dino, playing the concert grand in some hymn or other. I so miss that whole period of local TV – it’s just another wonderful thing lost to this new world of television that I cannot stomach. Occasionally, you can still find a deliciously bad cable access show (like Skip E. Lowe), but it’s not quite the same. And now – Dino at the piano. I believe-uh in miraclesssss.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must write, I must print out lyrics, I must not yammer away all the livelong day and night, I must do errands and pick up packages, and I must watch a DVD or three. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, the Guy Haines tracks. DVD, next up may be A Tale of Two Sisters, supposedly a really good Korean horror tale, or, if not, then the Rock Hudson/Jennifer Jones A Farewell to Arms (also with Elaine Stritch, who, according to her one-woman show, fell hard for Rock – oh, well). Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? I believe-uh in miraclesssss. And now – Dino at the piano.